


When Spring Comes...Remember Me

by Yuki Seki (Myriai)



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2001)
Genre: (Not Just the Sohma Family Drama), Based entirely on the 2001 anime, F/M, Family Drama, Friendship/Love, Mostly Canon Compliant, Multi, Rewrite, Sohma Friendships, Sohma Relationships, The "Three Musketeers" (Mabudachi Trio//Fruits Basket, repost from ffn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-02-27 02:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 39,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18729541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myriai/pseuds/Yuki%20Seki
Summary: After a family tragedy, Sakura Alexander returns home to Japan after a decade-long absence to reacquaint herself with her old high school friends: Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori Sohma. She finds many things have changed, but some things always remain the same.  She meets Tohru Honda who helps mend her broken soul and perhaps give her courage to say all the things she left unsaid when she left Japan over a decade ago.  Even if it's just for a fleeting season, maybe just maybe things can be set right in Sakura's world.





	1. The "Fourth Musketeer"

**Author's Note:**

> First up, hi there, I'm back with a repost (but it's actually done with some minor edits to be done as I post them)
> 
> "When Spring Comes...Remember Me" was first published on FFN in August 2004 and finished in August 2013 by me under the pseudonym of "Yuki Seki". With the release of the Fruits Basket remake, I've been visited by the urge to polish this up with about 15 more years of writing under my belt, but for the most part I'm actually surprised it holds up enough for me to want to put forth the effort to update this ^_^
> 
> A few notes:
> 
> 1) To date I still haven't read the manga and this story was based entirely on the 2001 original release of Fruits Basket and some pet theories that I came up with at that point--these theories were likely disproved hence the "mostly" canon compliant tag. I will likely have it all posted before the reboot of Fruits Basket diverges completely from what was originally released.
> 
> 2) From what I understand from some of the old readers of the story, there are actually things that (kind of) resemble the manga--these items are completely coincidental, but it makes me smile to hear it. I will find out for myself as I'm planning on making 2019 the year I actually -read- the manga and see how it canonically turns out.
> 
> 3) This story roughly starts just before Episode 24 of the 2001 series and lasts through 25 & 26 then proceeds even further into the future (by the end Yuki, Kyo, & Tohru graduate from high school). What's contained in the story is purely speculation. In general I prefer the Japanese over anything else, but I liked the "Three Musketeers" label over the "Mabudachi Trio", but either one works (also I have not read the Mabudachi short that came out or is coming out).
> 
> 4) On Character Descriptions in "When Spring Comes":
> 
> A lot of the character designs in the original 2001 version of Fruits Basket have been updated to manga specs in the reboot (and overall I like them much better ^_^), but all I had at the time this was originally written were the color palettes introduced in the anime. In the original version of the series, Tohru's eyes sometimes were blue and sometimes more of a sea green color--for this story I've elected to go with sea green though Tohru's eyes are canonically brown...I'm not sure I'm going to be able to remember to update all the descriptions to what's current.
> 
> Updates will be posted on Wednesdays and Sundays through the end of the story (as I said it's already written, it just needs minor touch-ups, edits, and some little fixes here and there).

**Prologue: The "Fourth Musketeer"**

**_Tohru Honda_** sneezed as dust rose from the pile of boxes she’d pulled down out of the closet in the study to go through, causing her to lose her grip on the box she was holding in the process.  Her cheeks went red as she immediately dropped to her knees and began scrambling to put the contents back inside.  "Tohru- _kun_ , what was that?"

Shigure Sohma appeared in the doorway and Tohru turned wide green eyes towards him.  "I am so sorry, I accidentally dropped one of your boxes!"

"Tohru, Tohru, don’t worry about stuff like that," he said reassuringly and came further into the room.  "Well, fancy that…I thought I’d lost those a long time ago."

"Shigure- _san_?" Tohru asked in confusion as he knelt down beside her.

He picked up one of the books and blew lightly over it sending both of them into a choking fit.  He opened the book and Tohru peered at it and her eyes widened.  "If it isn’t prying too much, may I ask who she is?"

"That, Tohru- _kun_ , was the ‘Fourth’ Musketeer."

Tohru stared in awe at the picture.  Three familiar faces gazed out at her from it, but in the center was a young girl that hadn’t been present in any of the other photo albums Shigure and Ayame had shown to her.  "Where is she now?" Tohru asked.

"Life blows us in a thousand directions, where her life took her, I cannot say," Shigure said expansively and for a moment he became serious, "but I hope one day it might blow her back our way.  Well, _qué sera sera_ , let’s get this old stuff put away."


	2. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend shows up on Shigure Sohma's doorstep opening the door to another world for Tohru to change.

**Basket One: Old Friends**

**_The sound_** of footsteps crunching on the gravel approaching the house distracted Shigure from his writing, and brought him to the window.  A glance out brought a smile to his face and he easily left his half-finished manuscript on the screen.  There was a knock on the door and Tohru scrambled out of the kitchen in front of him and made it to the door first.  Shigure held back just out of view of the doorway as Tohru opened the door.  "Hello, may I help you?"

"Perhaps I have the wrong residence, I was looking for Shigure Sohma’s house…" a female voice said, puzzlement evident in her tone.

The voice was a very familiar one though the timbre had changed slightly over the intervening years since he’d last seen her.  He’d seen pictures of her and read the stories she reported on in various magazines over the past ten years, but he was still curious to know how she would act once they were face-to-face again.  Knowing her, nothing would  change in her mind and a fond smile curved his lips. 

It’d be nice to see her again.

"Oh no, you have the right place.  Please, come in, I’ll let him know you’re here!"

Shigure smiled inwardly and drew back a little further as a slender woman dressed in a pale purple business suit entered.  "Pardon the intrusion," the visitor said.  "My name’s…"

"Kura- _chan_!" Shigure exclaimed and emerged into view.

The brunette’s violet eyes lit up and she smiled.  "Long time, no see Shi- _chan_."

"Tohru Honda, allow me to introduce you to Sakura Alexander," Shigure introduced her.  "Sakura, this is Tohru."

A mischievous smile curved Sakura’s lips.  "I heard about Tohru in my last conversation with Aya- _chan_.  It’s good to know…"

Shigure _knew_ that look and instinctively backed away a few steps. He didn’t make it very far before Sakura crossed the distance between them and flung her arms around him in a huge hug.

*POOF*

Tohru’s eyes went wide in shock as Shigure transformed into his zodiac form.  "Oh no…"

"Don’t worry Tohru- _kun_ ," Shigure quickly assured her, giving Sakura a reproachful look (or at least as much of one as a dog could manage).  "Kura- _chan_ knows all about the zodiac curse."

Sakura grinned at Tohru.  "I found out a long, long time ago."

Color returned to Tohru’s face as she closed the door.  "Welcome," she smiled.

"You’re still much cuter in your zodiac form than you are in your human form, mind if I keep you that way for a few days," Sakura suggested with a teasing grin.  "I’ll feed you, take you for long walks, and make sure you have a warm doggy bed—"

"Sakura," Shigure scowled and she giggled.

"I was just kidding," she assured him and rose.

Her eyes turned to Tohru.  "I do apologize for my abrupt appearance, Honda- _san_ ," she said earnestly.  "I would have called ahead, but I wanted to surprise Shi- _chan_."

"No, no it’s all right!" Tohru hastily assured her.  "Would you like to join us for dinner?  Yuki- _kun_ and Kyo- _kun_ should be home soon and I made plenty."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"  Sakura asked.  "It was a rather long flight and the idea of going to the hotel doesn’t appeal yet."

"You came directly here from the airport?" Tohru looked stunned.

Sakura chuckled.  "Not exactly.  You may want to turn your back Shi-chan will be reverting to normal in three…two…one—"

*POOF*

Tohru swiftly turned her back as the smoke began to clear.  Sakura handed Shigure his kimono with a grin.  "Even after all these years, you still have it down to a science," he observed, shrugging into it with practiced ease and tying it.

Sakura grinned.  "Well, with as much research as I put in, I should hope I still have it.  You, Aya, and ‘Tori- _san_ wouldn’t much appreciate it if I had to do some follow-up studies."

Shigure looked thoughtful.  "I don’t know about Aya—"

"He just liked being down a girl’s shirt," she laughed.

"Ah, woe to me for being cursed by the Dog.  I am sure the company in your shirt would have been preferable to the cold sidewalk under one’s paws," Shigure gave a theatrically heavy sigh.

"Shigure!  Not in front of the children!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes glittering with amusement.

Tohru looked at them blankly and the other woman laughed softly.  "Ah, I see."

"See what?" Tohru questioned.

"If it is something to do with Shigure, I am sure you don’t want to know, Honda-san."

"Ah, Yuki, welcome home," Shigure said expansively as the gray-haired young man entered followed by a boy with flaming orange-red hair.  "I see Kyo’s back as well."

The red-haired boy glared at him for a moment then turned his red-brown gaze on Sakura.  Before he voiced anything, Tohru noticed their arrival.

"Oh you’re home!  Welcome back!" she greeted them happily.

Both boys’ gazes turned to Tohru and immediately softened.  "I’m home," they chorused.

Sakura looked considering, a slight smile quirking her lips suddenly.  She glanced over at Shigure and saw a familiar satisfied smirk on his face that was quickly gone as soon as he caught her gaze.  Sakura hid a smile and watched the two younger Sohmas as Tohru talked to them animatedly for a few minutes.  After a little bit, Tohru excused herself to check dinner and Sakura found herself to be the focal point of two narrow-eyed glares.  Hostility began to fill the air and she suddenly giggled.  "Well, I can’t say ‘Tori- _san_ didn’t warn me about the defense the princes of the castle showered upon the princess."

"Who are you?" Kyo demanded.

"Yuki I can see as a prince, but Kyo?" Shigure said.  "You need your eyes checked Kura- _chan_."

"Do I ask what zodiac or find out for myself?" Sakura questioned teasingly.

Both boys paled and took a step back, not sure what to make of the woman before them.  "You’ve researched quite enough on myself, Ayame, and Hatori," Shigure said firmly, "leave them out of it."

"You’re no fun," Sakura pouted and then grinned.  "My name is Sakura Alexander.  I’m an old friend of Shigure’s.  It’s a pleasure to meet you."

They still regarded her guardedly and she laughed.  "Dinner’s not quite done," Shigure commented.  "Would you care to join me in the study?"

"Sure, why not?" Sakura shrugged and followed him down the hall.

Once they were safely ensconced in Shigure's study, he handed Sakura a drink and waved at the chair.  "So, how long are you in Japan for?"

Sakura glanced up in surprise.  "Didn’t you get my letter?"

"What letter?" he asked.

"You were always terrible with correspondence and then you wonder why I never wrote you," Sakura scolded, shaking her head.

Her eyes went to his "inbox", which was piled high with unopened envelopes.  Towards the bottom, in between two pieces of mail marked with his publisher’s logo, she spotted a red and blue corner.  She reached over and tugged it out, flipping it around so Shigure could see the US address.

"When did that come in?" Shigure looked surprised and fished the letter opener out from under an origami crane and a few sketches.

Sakura chuckled and relaxed as he opened the letter.  "Your penmanship is going downhill," he noted.

Sakura laughed.  "Well, sorry, you have no idea how difficult writing kanji and katakana is after almost a decade of English.  And I _know_ how well you read English."

"Contrary to popular belief, I am quite proficient in English.  It just took a little longer than my school grades could account for," Shigure retorted and read over the first part of the message.  "Moving here?"

Sakura simply sipped her drink and nodded at the letter.  Shigure continued, reading the humor leaving his eyes as he got further into it.  "You were crying," he said quietly.  "There are tearstains on the last page."

"It was a rough time," Sakura stated soberly.  "The thing that struck me most during that time was the thought that I wanted to go home.  Not the place I had there, but here in Japan.  So I made arrangements."

Before he could say anything, there was a polite knock on the door and it moved aside revealing Tohru.  "Sorry to interrupt, but dinner’s ready, Shigure- _san_ , Alexander- _san_."

Sakura winced at the name.  "Just call me Sakura, Honda- _san_."

Tohru looked startled and Shigure grinned evilly.  "Alexander- _san_ makes her feel old, not that she isn’t—"

"Shigure!" she exclaimed.  "Who are you calling _old_ , old man?"

"Ah, but Kura- _chan_ , you’re only as old as you feel," he said.

"Hmmm…in that case should I worry about your diaper being dirty?" she murmured.

For a second, Shigure looked stunned and then both of them collapsed into gales of laughter while Tohru looked puzzled.

"I’m glad you’re back, Kura- _chan_ ," he finally managed.

"It’s good to be home," Sakura replied.

 ** _Later that_** evening, Sakura sat on the stairs outside, unmindful of the chill in the early autumn air.  A breeze stirred her long hair, causing strands to float up and be gilded by the warm, golden light pouring out the window.  Inside, voices echoed and a smile crossed her face as she heard Kyo and Yuki starting to argue, followed by Tohru’s frantic voice.  It was good to know the troubled children she’d left behind were happy.

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply letting the loamy scents of the surrounding wood seep in.  This house was much nicer than the place Shigure lived in while residing within the walls of the Sohma compound.  However, even with the repressive air of the compound, the happiest memories of her high school years were made there.  Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori brightened the loneliness left in the wake of her parents’ constant business trips, and leaving them to go to America after graduation was the hardest thing she’d ever done.  Shigure, her confidante, the one she’d turned to when she needed assistance or just someone to listen to her.  Ayame, her co-conspirator, the two of them had had a grand time causing mischief whenever the opportunity present itself and Shigure had helped on no few occasions.  And Hatori.

Sakura’s eyes opened and she fixated her gaze on Draco, the mighty Dragon.  Truthfully, part of her longing to return was tied up with the doctor.  Seeing him again for the first time in so long earlier today shook all of her feelings out of the crevices where she’d buried them.  It took all of her control not to blurt anything out.  She smiled wryly to herself; she always took the hardest path.

"Sakura- _san_?"

Sakura glanced up and saw Tohru in the doorway holding something in her hand.  Upon seeing her look up, Tohru left the doorway; joining her on the steps. Tohru knelt by her side and handed Sakura a warm mug.  Momentarily, Sakura was surprised, but Tohru simply smiled.  "It’s getting colder at night.  Autumn is coming fast," the younger girl observed.

"Yes, but autumn is such a pretty time of year," Sakura smiled.  "Back in the US, where I lived, there was no real autumn."

"I like autumn, too," Tohru agreed, "but I like spring better."

"The time of renewal," Sakura remembered.  "My mother always told me that spring in Japan always reminded her of me.  The place I was didn’t have a spring either."

Tohru gave her a startled look and then a star streaked across the sky.  "Oh! A falling star, make a wish Sakura- _san_ ," Tohru exclaimed.

"Why don’t you make a wish?" Sakura countered.

"Oh, I couldn’t!" Tohru said.  "What more could I wish for?  I have Uo- _chan_ and Hana- _chan_ , Yuki- _kun_ , Kyo- _kun_ , and all the others.  I can live in a house with a roof and be around the people I care about.  What more is there?"

"What about love?" Sakura questioned.  "All girls dream of love."

Tohru turned wide eyes on her, the moonlight illuminating the green irises.  "I have more love than I deserve, Sakura- _san_."

Sakura was silent for a moment and then smiled slowly.  "You, Tohru Honda- _san_ , are amazing.  I don't think I've e _ver_ encountered anyone like you."

A flush warmed Tohru’s cheeks.  "I’m not _that_ amazing, Sakura- _san_."

 _I envy you_ , Sakura thought and a shiver found a way down her spine and she sneezed.  "Why don’t you come inside where it’s warm?" Tohru suggested.  "We’re going to play _Dai Hin Min_ (Rich Man, Poor Man)."

"I don’t know the rules to that game," Sakura said.

"Don’t worry, we’ll teach you!"

Sakura found herself dragged into the warmth of the house and all of her worries faded away.


	3. Stormy Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a storm breaks over Japan and secrets are deepened.
> 
> For chronological reference this happens about Episode 24(ish) of the 2001 anime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for it being about an hour late, but I seriously underestimated how much time it would take me to edit this to something a little more readable for modern me. Fifteen-years-ago me apparently liked passive voice a little too much and skipped around various PoVs a lot more than modern me prefers.
> 
> I'm narrowing down the PoVs to Sakura and the Mabudachi Trio which means that all the little snippets I have from Tohru, Yuki, or possibly even Kyo's PoVs will be edited out or changed.
> 
> Now that I realize what an undertaking this is, I'll start working on the edits for the chapter before 10:30 PM the night I intend to update ^^;
> 
> Thanks for reading.

** Basket Two: Stormy Skies **

**_The door_** of classroom 2-D opened and the principal of the school entered as the students scrambled into their seats.  He waited as they came to order and then cleared his throat.  "Your teacher was selected to participate in a foreign exchange program that will last two years and elected to accept the position.  This is a great opportunity for her and I trust you will be happy for her. Here to replace them is a new teacher from the United States.  Please regard her kindly," he said.

He exited the classroom and a few seconds later high heels clicked on the floor and the door slid open to reveal a woman in a lilac dress.  A long brown braid swung over her shoulder and her light purple eyes rested briefly on three members of her class and she smiled.  "Good morning everyone," she greeted.

Several of the boys in the class began to murmur, the words ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’ seeming to be the most common terms.  She turned to the board and wrote her name on it with kanji and katakana then provided the English spelling.  "My name is Sakura Alexander.  It’s an honor to have been given charge of a class as amazing as this.  Your teacher had nothing but good things to say about you.  I hope you don’t prove them wrong," she said.  "I was born here in Japan and have been living in the United States on and off for the past several years.  I must admit this is my first time in a classroom environment.  Until recently, I was in and out of several war zones and other such situations, so I am hoping it gave me the survival skills necessary to survive the unfamiliar jungle known to the common man as a classroom."

There were some scattered chuckles and several exclamations of awe.  Sakura waited for a moment and continued.  "I will also be replacing your English teacher for the time being.  Now, for today’s announcements…"

**_Lunch came_** and Sakura settled at her desk with a book and heard footsteps pause outside the door.  She smiled at Tohru who paused in the doorway and waved amiably. "Hello, Honda- _san_ , we meet again," she said. "You can come in if you like."

"I don't want to interrupt you," Tohru said quickly.

"You're not," Sakura assured her and set the book down. "I've read this book a million times."

"I didn't know you were going to be our teacher, Alexander- _sensei_ ," Tohru said.

"Neither did I," Sakura replied. "I wasn't even aware that you three attended this school."

"I'm glad, even though I'll miss our old teacher too," Tohru said. "Are you excited Alexander- _sensei_?"

"I'm happy to be home right now," Sakura smiled, wincing slightly at the 'Alexander- _sensei_ ' rolling off Tohru's tongue. "When we see each other outside of here and it's not school related, you'll still call me Sakura, okay?"

"All right," Tohru smiled and then asked hesitantly. "Did you really go into jungles and stuff?"

The teacher chuckled. "Yes, and I have the scars to prove it, but this probably wouldn't be the place to show them."

Tohru seemed to be torn between how to react to Sakura’s comment and she smiled. "It's nothing to worry about, I made it through all of them with flying colors," Where were you off to?"

"The roof. I usually meet Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Momiji and Hatsuharu-san up there for lunch," she replied and her eyes widened. "Oh! I better go! I promised everyone _bentos_ today. They're probably starving!"

Sakura smiled. "If you ever want to visit, feel free to drop by any time. I'm sure I'll see you around Shigure's house. I tend to be a frequent visitor to there and Hatori's office. Even Ayame's shop occasionally. Be careful."

"Thanks!" Tohru said. "Bye!"

Tohru bolted out the door, giving a breathless greeting to someone outside, and Sakura smiled wistfully. There was a knock on the frame and Sakura glanced up and blinked in startlement as Hatori Sohma appeared in the doorway. The doctor was dressed in a dark suit like usual and his dark brown hair hung over his bad eye. "'Tori- _san_! I didn't think I'd see you here!" Sakura exclaimed, pleasure in her voice.

She restrained herself from the urge to bounce up and hug him because she didn't know who else may come into the classroom—and she still had to get used to the fact that she was in Japan now not the US. "I came to town to run an errand and I wished to check up on Yuki, he hasn't made his latest appointments," the handsome doctor replied. "I was surprised to find out this was the school you were working at and felt like I should come by and say hello."

Sakura smiled. "I'm happy to see you.  You were rather busy when I dropped by to see if I could find Shigure."

"Some weeks are worse than others," Hatori said. "How do you like it so far?"

"So far, the only thought in my head is that I am glad to be home," she replied and he nodded gravely. "I'll let you know how I feel about being a teacher instead of a reporter in a couple weeks."

"Are you afraid you're going to get bored?" Hatori inquired.

She looked startled and shook her head quickly. "I've had more than enough of the other life; it got old a while back. I still enjoy a good story as much as the next person, but, all things considered, I think I'll stick to reading them from now on."

"I'm surprised the magazine let you go so easily," he said quietly.

Sakura's eyes dropped away from his and flickered over the walls of the classroom. "They didn't let me go easily," she finally said. "I promised one more story of their choice, but, so far I haven't gotten any calls, I'm hoping it never comes. I told them that it was going to have to be a really, _really_ important story for me to take it so I have the option to turn things down if I wish."

"I heard you conversing earlier, I assume you've met Tohru Honda then?" he stated.

"A couple times," Sakura smiled, "I've been by to see Shigure a few more times than you or Aya because I know the two of you are incredibly busy."

"I'm only busy on the days that Akito is feeling bad or when others of the Sohmas are sick," Hatori stated.

Momentarily, the smile died from Sakura's face at the mention of the head of the Sohma family, but she quickly put it back on. "Is that a suggestion that I come by more often?" she asked teasingly and saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"It has been a long time since we have spoken and I do wonder how you are doing on occasion," Hatori said. "You've said that Shigure is bad with correspondence, you're far worse."

Sakura chuckled. "It wasn't exactly easy to send out air mail from Kenya or wherever I happened to be," she said.

"Perhaps so," Hatori agreed, "but you aren't in Kenya anymore."

She laughed softly and nodded. "I'll drop by next time I get a chance. I think that Honda- _san_ was heading up to meet Yuki on the roof if you're looking for him."

"Thank you," he said courteously. "I'd better go tend to my duties before the lunch break is over."

"Be safe," she said as he left the room.

He waved casually and was gone and Sakura let the smile die from her lips. She leaned back in the chair, taking deep breaths and trying to calm her pounding heart. Why did he have to do that every time she saw him? It was bad enough her feelings hadn't dulled during her almost ten-year absence, but when he popped up unexpectedly it was even harder to keep her feelings inside. _One of these days, I'll have the courage to tell you,_ she told him silently, _but I don't think it will be any day soon. I heard all about Kana and I don't want to see the pain in your eyes when someone else tells you they love you. Besides, it's probably better to just remain friends, all things considered._

In the classroom after lunch Sakura was watching the rain fall outside the classroom window feeling a sense of inevitability on the wind. She found herself often watching Tohru with Yuki and Kyo Sohma and the three seemed to be extraordinarily happy. Inside, she was very glad that Tohru had given some light to the two, but like all things, happiness always had to come to an end—especially in the Sohma household.

She shuddered inwardly as she watched them gather their umbrellas. Kyo didn't seem like his usual self lately and she slowly came to the realization that it had something to do with the mystery surrounding the Cat. Of all the things she had investigated, the secrets of the Sohma curse and how it tied into the Chinese Zodiac and its little intricacies still baffled her.  If she wanted to look at it that way, it was her one and only failed assignment. Her quest to find answers to the curse were only fueled by her personal desire to see her friends able to live a normal life.  Even if it wasn’t something she could do anything about, she still felt as though she were a failure to them.

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

After waving good-bye to Tohru and the Sohmas, she set about gathering her own things. A notebook fell out of her bag as it lost its battle with gravity and slumped over. She picked it up and a picture fell out. She lifted it and smiled at the image. It had been on her graduation day when Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori had managed to get out of the Sohma compound and come to watch her receive her diploma. It was the last picture that was taken of them before she moved to the United States with her parents. Realizing which notebook it was, she tucked the picture into a different book and resolved to drop by the Sohma house to drop it off to help Tohru study.  It was one of the many volumes of study assistance she put together when she was in high school to help Shigure and Ayame through English since they both seemed to struggle with it.

She found herself some distance behind Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru and was going to call to them just before she saw a familiar figure watching them as well. Kazuma Sohma glanced up and saw her before he left and Sakura felt a slight chill. She heard that Kazuma was gone on a journey and knew that he would be obligated to report back to Sohma house that he returned. Even from a distance she could see a grim set to his expression as he watched the younger Sohmas and their friend cross the street. 

Something was going to happen…and soon.

Sakura turned a different direction from them and stopped by the store to pick up a few things for dinner before making a stop at the Sohma residence to drop the book off.  Shigure was busy so there wasn’t a lot of visiting to do, but she was relieved in a way to escape quickly.

When she returned to the town proper, she headed up to her floor and entered her darkened apartment.  Sakura took off her shoes before wandering towards the kitchen. The message light on her machine was flashing and she wondered who would have called her. She hadn't made that many friends since returning to Japan and if one of the Sohmas called they’d use her cell phone. She pressed the button to listen as she put the groceries up.

_"It's about time I found you Sakura, what are you doing in Japan? I know you ran off with your father's real will, he promised me—"_

Sakura whirled around and slammed the stop button, anger flashing through her eyes. The phone rang and she picked it up automatically not looking at the caller id. " _Moshi_ , _moshi_."

"Hello?"

It was English coming from the other end and Sakura shifted her thought processes. "Hello," she greeted back.

"I assume you are Sakura Alexander, daughter of the late Jason Alexander, the owner of Alexander Technologies?"

"That would be me," she said flatly.

"My name is Drew Westing, I'm—"

"I know who you are," Sakura interrupted him. "What do you want?"

"I was calling to inform you that your family was disputing your father's will and are demanding an investigation," he said. "They claim that you hid the actual will somewhere in your personal effects that give them rights to some of his estate."

"There is no other will," Sakura gritted out. "The only will and testament my parents had were left with Stewart Starling. If it weren’t for what they pulled, I wouldn’t mind signing most of it over to them and letting them fight it out.  However, they’re not getting a bloody dime Father didn’t intend for them to have now."

"Please calm down, Miss Alexander," he said. "I understand that you are upset over this recent tragedy…"

"I wasn't even told my parents were dead until I came back from an assignment _two months_ after the fact!" Sakura snarled.

"Miss Alexander," he began.

Sakura took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Look, Mr. Westing, now is not the best time to discuss this. I just came home from work and one of those relatives you mentioned left a rather unpleasant message. I have your number; I'll call you when I'm in a better frame of mind."

"I understand, Miss Alexander, but there is a court date scheduled in two weeks…" he began.

"I'm a school teacher now, I can't drop everything to deal with it," Sakura told him. "I will contact Mr. Starling to work as my proxy.  Fax his office whatever needs to be dealt with."

"As you wish," he said.

She said good-bye after another moment or two and after he hung up slammed the phone into the cradle. She couldn't believe the nerve of the people who called themselves family. As far as she was concerned the only family she had died in a plane crash four months ago.  The rest of them could rot in hell or even better dwell in the slums of some of the third-world countries she'd been in. The only other people she gave a damn about at this point were her old friends from school.  As it always was though she could only share a small portion of their lives because she never figured out the intricacies of the Sohma curse.

She finished putting the groceries away and decided on some instant miso soup for her meal that evening.  The phone calls took any appetite to eat the meal she originally planned. The usually savory foods would taste like sawdust in her mouth tonight and she didn't want to waste the food or effort. She left the lights off and settled in a chair near the window, watching with hooded eyes as the storm outside grew steadily worse.

**_"I'm home," Tohru_** announced quietly.

Shigure glanced up at girl’s words and watched Tohru and Yuki take off their shoes.  Yuki shook out the umbrella sending droplets flying over the entry way.

"Ah, Tohru- _kun_ welcome home," Shigure said expansively.  “Sakura dropped by briefly while you were at work and left this for you.  She says that it will help with your English work because she's noticed you've been struggling with it a little bit."

Tohru's eyes went wide. "She left it for me?" she sounded stunned.

Shigure nodded. "Kura-chan was always very good with her school subjects, even math and science as much as she would never admit it. She helped Ayame and me with our studies."

"You've known Sakura-san for a long time haven't you?" Tohru said.

Shigure nodded. "Since high school," he replied. "We just happened to run into her one day and after that she just seemed to stay around."

"That's wonderful!" Tohru exclaimed. "I'm going to go up to my room and study now. Good night."

Tohru headed upstairs leaving Shigure with Yuki who turned his dark violet eyes on him. "How is it that Alexander-san has known you since high school and knows of the zodiac curse and her memories aren’t concealed? Surely Akito and his predecessor didn't allow it."

Shigure became serious for just a moment. "It's a long, complicated story that I cannot rightly do justice to."

"Was she around a lot?" Yuki asked. "She seems familiar."

"It's odd that you should say that," Shigure said. "Sakura was with Ayame, Hatori, and me often, but never at the family gatherings."

"I know I know her," the younger Sohma said and then turned away. "I'm going to bed."

"Good night, Yuki- _kun_ ," Shigure said.

Shigure went back into his office and settled at the desk, his eyes distant and thoughtful. The years back in high school were generally good ones. There were several dark moments, but that was expected for a Sohma cursed by the spirit of the zodiac. He got back up a few minutes later and went to the phone in the hall. Quietly, he dialed Hatori's number and the doctor picked up on the fifth ring. "Hello."

"Did I wake you 'Tori-san?" he asked.

"Shigure, it is eleven o' clock at night, most people are in bed or heading that way by this time," Hatori stated. "This better be important; I have an early morning appointment tomorrow."

"Did Yuki ever meet Sakura?" Shigure asked.

"You called me at eleven o' clock at night to ask me something like that?" Hatori inquired.

"I’m sorry, 'Tori-san, but I have to know," Shigure said.

"For what reason?" Hatori inquired.

"I have to know if it will interfere with any of our plans," Shigure stated bluntly. "Sakura is a dear friend, but if she will cause problems…"

"They met once, a long time ago.  I don't foresee it having any effect on any of your plans," Hatori said quietly. "I'm going to sleep now."

_Click._

The doctor hung up and Shigure put the phone in the cradle and wandered outside to the deck to stare at the night sky. Sakura always presented a mystery to him.  She was one of the only people he couldn't always read. Like her knowledge of the zodiac, constant acquaintance unlocked several mysteries, but she still managed to keep secrets from him. Sakura still hadn't given any explanations about why she decided to come back to Japan now of all times and Shigure found it puzzling. When they were in high school, she talked to him about _everything_ , including her unrequited love for Hatori, but being the person she was, she didn't intend to do or say anything about it to Hatori—especially now.

He sighed.

Shigure hated secrets, at least those that weren’t his own, but he knew that Sakura would eventually come around and he would learn everything he needed to.


	4. Light in the Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night turned into day and Sakura feels a little lighter for some reason. She goes to school and finds out three of her students are absent. Sakura visits Shigure and sees the aftermath of whatever happened the night before. On Sunday, Sakura talks Tohru into spending the day with her and they have a couple revealing conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're about 25-26 in the anime now. From here on out it's purely speculation--anything that resembles the manga is purely by chance and I might even stop leaving notes at the beginning of the chapter (but no guarantees, I "talk" too much).
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Basket Three: Light in the Clouds**

**_The clouds_** had thinned and sunlight was beginning to peek through as Sakura made her way to work.  The air had a fresh, clean feel to it and Sakura drew in a deep breath to dismiss the last vestiges of her restless night.  Everything felt different today as if the heaviness that had weighted the air down had dissipated.  It felt almost like something was set right…

"Good morning, Alexander- _san_ ," a voice greeted.

Sakura glanced up and smiled at the school administrator, putting her mask of cheer firmly in place.  "Good morning, Yanagi- _san_."

"How do you like it here so far?" Asahi Yanagi questioned.  "The children seem rather impressed with you."

"I'm glad to be home and I like teaching very much," Sakura responded.  "I can't thank you enough for giving me the recommendation."

"It was my pleasure.  I've known you'd do well at this since we were in junior high," Asahi smiled.  "I'm surprised it took so long to find your true calling."

Sakura chuckled. "Even back then my heart was in reporting."

"I remember that all too well, especially when Miyamoto- _senpai_ tried to get you kicked out of school.  I'm still not sure how you managed to avoid trouble when you snuck into the boys' school."

"I'm not sure either to tell the truth," Sakura admitted and they chuckled.

"Well, I'll see you later and keep up the good work.  Even with mine and Takaki- _san_ 's recommendations they still weren't sure about hiring you, but they're becoming rather impressed by your work," Asahi said.  "Watch your step though, they're still going to jump on any mistakes you make."

"Thank you for the warning," Sakura smiled.  "I'll keep it in mind, Asahi."

"We should go out for drinks after work sometime," Asahi added.

"I'd like that," Sakura agreed.

"Hang in there, Sakura."

With that, Asahi was gone and Sakura let her bright smile fade.  She entered her office and practically collapsed into her chair, her eyes losing focus.

She was so tired.

She awakened this morning in her chair with cold, uneaten instant miso on the table next to her and vague recollections of clouded gray shadows stalking her dreams.

There was a knock on the door and she glanced up at Nobutoshi Takeda, one of the other teachers.  "Rough night?" he queried.

"Something like that," Sakura said.  "I'm fine though, just collecting my thoughts for class today.  What can I do for you?"

He handed her a piece of paper.  "Tohru Honda, Kyo Sohma, and Yuki Sohma will not be able to attend class today.  Their guardians phoned in just a little while ago."

A chill slid down Sakura's spine at his announcement.  "Thank you," she managed to keep any inflection about her concern out of her voice and he nodded.

"It was also requested that their assignments be put together so a friend of the family could bring them by."

Sakura nodded.  "I'll make sure to do it," she agreed.

"Good."

He left and the paper crumpled in her grasp as soon as he was out of an earshot.  She reached for the phone and dialed Shigure's number, but no one answered.  Worry began to claw at her insides and she closed her eyes.  _Please don't let anything happen to them.  They're just kids and they've already gone through so much!_

With difficulty she shoved the thought to the back of her mind and set about her job determined to hold her mask in place until she could address the matter.  The entire school was buzzing at the absences of the two Sohmas and Tohru and Sakura could almost see the rumors brewing.  However, between Yuki, Kyo, Uotani, and Hanajima, she was sure nothing would come of them that would harm Tohru.  The "Prince Yuki Fan Club" girls were in a tizzy though, bemoaning the fact their "Prince" wasn't here.

The day went by slowly, and Sakura wished for once it would fly by.  Finally, the last bells rang and she waved to her class as they filed out, very excited about the next day being Sunday.  Truthfully, she was glad herself that it was Sunday so that she could go check on Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru herself to make sure they were all right.

She left the school and dropped things off at her apartment before changing clothes and making sure she had all of the assignments for the three absentees.  Hatsuharu and Momiji Sohma dropped by to get the assignments after school, but she had told them that she would take the work to them.  They looked somewhat surprised, but then Momiji had recognized her and told Hatsuharu that she was a friend of Shigure's.  Hatsuharu had frowned at the announcement, but Momiji cheerfully agreed.

She arrived at Shigure's house and saw that the lights were on.  She went to the door and knocked politely.  Shigure opened it and he gave her a smile of welcome, but his gray eyes were more serious than usual.  "Ah, Kura- _chan_ , good to see you," he said expansively.  "Come in, come in.  I just ordered take out because Tohru- _kun_ is very tired."

Sakura entered and held up the assignments as she slipped off her shoes.  "I have their schoolwork from today," she informed him.

He took the folders and looked into her eyes.  "Are you all right, Kura- _chan_?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged.  "How are they?"

She looked up at him intently and he smiled.  "They had a rough night, but they came through it with shining colors.  Tohru- _kun_ _is_ amazing."

Sakura got the sudden feeling that whatever had happened last night was something to do with the zodiac curse and swore inwardly.  "Sorry for intruding unexpectedly tonight," she apologized, purposely shifting to a different topic.

Shigure chuckled.  "I wouldn't say unexpectedly.  I ordered an extra meal because I had a feeling you'd be by to check on them."

"You know me too well sometimes, Shigure," Sakura chuckled.

"And sometimes not well enough," he replied.

"If you ever completely figured me out, I'd have to find something to change," Sakura said lightly.

Shigure smiled and they went into the dining room where a girl in a light green dress was sitting, her green eyes intent on the project in her hands.  "Kagura, we have a guest," Shigure announced gently.

Kagura Sohma glanced up and frowned at the newcomer.  "This is Sakura Alexander, she's an old friend of mine, Hatori, and Ayame from a long time ago," Shigure introduced her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagura said briefly before turned her eyes back to her project.

"How about we go talk in my office until dinner gets here?" Shigure suggested.

"All right," Sakura agreed and followed him.

They entered his office and she sat on the floor across the desk from him and they chatted idly about several neutral topics.  The conversation was interrupted only by the arrival of dinner and the food was eaten in the dining room in silence as Kagura mended the orange cat bag that she carried and Sakura tried to avoid asking any questions that she knew she wouldn't get the straight answers to.  After dinner, Kagura thanked Shigure for the meal and excused herself to go sleep in one of the guestrooms in his house.

Sakura stood up as well.  "They're really all right?" she asked softly, looking at Shigure.

He nodded.  "They're fine.  A little worse for wear, but fine."

"I'm glad," Sakura said quietly.

She collected her coat and put on her shoes, pausing in the doorway to look at Shigure.  "You know, the Sohma curse is the only investigation that I've ever done where I've come away with more questions than when I started."

"Only those afflicted with it can truly understand it," Shigure said.  "There's really nothing we can do."

"Except hope," Sakura said with a gentle smile.  "Right now, your hopes are pinned on Tohru, aren't they?"

Shigure looked somewhat startled then nodded briefly.  "Only Hatori and I see that Tohru may be the one we've been looking for.  To the others, she is a friend, someone who accepts them for who they are and loves them even though they're cursed.  Invincible love that is what Tohru- _kun_ is."

Sakura smiled.  "You guys better take good care of her or I'll have to do something about it," she said, "if I get here before Uotani and Hanajima."

"She's already won you as well, Kura- _chan_?" he asked.

"She reminds me of someone I met a long time ago," Sakura said.  "I really admired her.  I'll see you later."

**_The following_** day, Sakura went to Shigure's with the intention of offering to help the kids with their homework, but no one was there.  Considering her options, she decided to sit on the porch and wait.  Laughter floated up the lane and she glanced up to see Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo talking and laughing on the way up.  Behind them were Hatori and Shigure and they both looked somewhat satisfied with themselves.  They drew up short when they saw Sakura on the porch.  "What are you doing here?" Kyo demanded.

"I came by for a visit," Sakura said.  "You should be used to this by now, Kyo."

"Good afternoon, Alexander- _san_ ," Yuki said more politely.

"Sakura- _san_!" Tohru exclaimed and smiled.  "Have you been waiting long?"

"Probably," she responded, "but it's my fault. I didn't call first."

"Hello, Sakura," Hatori greeted her gravely.

She smiled.  "Hi there, 'Tori- _san_!  I didn't expect to see you here as well."

"Why don't we go inside and finish the greetings there?" Shigure suggested as he opened the door.

"I'll make some lunch," Tohru said, darting past Shigure into the house to get started.

"Ah, Tohru- _kun_ is such an angel," Shigure sighed almost rapturously.  "I should consider getting married…"

Shigure was punched by two separate people and landed against the doorjamb rubbing his head.  Yuki and Kyo glared at Shigure before heading inside. Hatori smiled slightly and Sakura began to laugh.  "She is underage, Shi- _chan_ ," she reminded him.

"She'll be legal soon," Shigure said and the sparkle in his eyes communicated that he had mainly said it to tease Yuki and Kyo.

"I will not bail you out of jail if you try anything, Shigure," Hatori said and walked inside.

"I didn't _say_ I was going to marry Tohru- _kun_ ," Shigure protested.

Sakura laughed.  "But you implied it," she replied.  "It's a good thing you have a hard head, but I'd be careful, that's only going to hold out for so long."

"Well, neither of them has said anything to her," he mumbled.

"Because Tohru is Tohru and they don't want to cause her any pain," Sakura said quietly.  "If either of them admit to her that they have feelings for her she may feel she has to choose between them and it would tear her apart."

Shigure regarded Sakura consideringly and then smiled.  "Well, come inside, Tohru's sure to cook us a fine meal."

"Just out of curiosity, where were you?" Sakura questioned as they entered and removed their shoes.

"Sohma house," Shigure replied.  "We went visiting."

They joined Hatori in the dining room and began to chat while Tohru was in the kitchen preparing a meal.  To her surprise Yuki and Kyo went out into the yard to have a fight at Yuki's suggestion.  She listened idly to the conversation between the two older Sohmas as she watched the younger ones.  There seemed to be a bit of a different air between them that Sakura couldn't quite identify.  There was still a bit of animosity, but there was something else underneath it.

"…America?" Shigure's voice came through Sakura's contemplation and she turned to look at him in startlement.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if you had gotten all your stuff shipped to you from America yet," Shigure said.

"I didn't bring anything other than my luggage from there," Sakura said curtly. "There wasn't anything to ship."

Shigure frowned at her shortness and Sakura took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry, Shigure, that came out sharper than intended," she said.  "Let's just say I didn't leave America on the best of terms and leave it at that for now."

He looked puzzled and she shook her head, communicating her refusal to talk about it any further and changed the subject to the weather and asking how things were going in the doctoring world.  She ignored Shigure's assessing looks all through the day, focused on enjoying the company around her, and not the nightmare that she left in the US.  She left earlier than usual that night, knowing that as soon as everyone else was asleep, Shigure would probably start pressing her for answers.  Eventually, Sakura would tell him about it, but now was not the time.

**_"Good morning,_** Sakura- _san_!"

Sakura smiled at Tohru as the younger girl let her inside.  "Hello, Tohru, how are you today?"

"Wonderful!" Tohru said with her usual excitement.  "I've almost got the rest of the house taken care of and Yuki- _kun_ was able to help me finish all my work last night."

"Where are Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure?" Sakura asked curiously as Tohru handed her a glass of water in the kitchen.

"Yuki and Kyo went to Sohma house for some reason. Shigure- _san_ is still sleeping," Tohru replied cheerfully.  "If it's anything like usual he'll get up in time for dinner tonight."

"Ah, too bad," Sakura said and then looked at Tohru.  "Do you have any plans for today with Uotani- _san_ and Hanajima- _san_?"

"Uo- _chan_ has to work today and Hana- _chan_ had to do something with her family," Tohru answered.  "I thought I'd go visit Mom later."

"Oh," Sakura sounded disappointed even to herself.  "I was going to ask you to come somewhere with me, but…"

"Mom would probably love to meet you," Tohru said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

Tohru nodded and Sakura smiled.  "All right, if you think it's okay."

"Let me get my coat and we can go," Tohru said and then paused.  "Oh! Maybe you would rather rest for a little while! I should have asked."

Sakura chuckled.  "No, I'm fine.  Thank you for the water."

They left a few minutes later after Tohru left a note for Yuki and Kyo about where she was going.  "They get worried if they don't know where I am," Tohru explained as they left the house.  "They're so kind to me, Sakura- _san_."

Sakura led her to her car and Tohru's eyes widened.  "You have a car!" she exclaimed.

"It makes it a little easier to get out here," Sakura smiled and opened the door for her.  "It was rather difficult remembering to drive on the left side of the road.  In America, they drive on the right."

"Is America that different from Japan?" Tohru asked curiously.

"In a lot of ways, yes," Sakura said.  "You'd probably have to experience it to understand it."

Tohru directed her to the temple and they paid their respects after Tohru introduced her.  When Sakura saw the picture of Kyoko Honda, her eyes went wide.  "I met her before!" she exclaimed.

Tohru's eyes went wide.  "You knew Mom!"

"I wouldn't say _knew_ her," Sakura smiled, "but we met on several occasions.  In fact, you remind me a lot of her."

"Really?" Tohru flushed with pleasure.

"Yes, really," Sakura replied.  "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Tohru admitted, "we can go back to the house…"

"Nonsense, I took you away from the house for the day, so we're going to stay away," Sakura grinned.  "The boys can learn to live without you from time to time."

"I don't have any money," the younger girl said.

"It's my treat. I dragged you away," Sakura replied.

They went to a nearby restaurant and talked animatedly.  After lunch, Sakura dragged Tohru to the local shopping center.  "How did you meet Shigure- _san_ , Sakura- _san_?" Tohru asked curiously as they thumbed through books in a bookstore.

Sakura glanced up at Tohru’s question and Tohru looked a little embarrassed.  "I'm sorry, it's none of my business," she said quickly.

"No worries," Sakura grinned.  "Let me think a sec.  I was a freshman at the time, and they were sophomores.  We went to schools that were near each other, mine was an all-girls school and theirs was an all-boys school.  The two schools actually did a lot of things together, but that's not how we met."

Sakura selected a book and they began moving towards the counter.  "I was actually breaking about fifteen different school rules when I met them to tell the truth. At least one of which could get me expelled from the school."

Tohru's eyes widened at the revelation and Sakura chuckled.  "Shizuru, the editor for my school paper didn't like me very much. She tried everything in her power to get me off her staff and expelled from school. To that end, she challenged me to do an investigative report on the boys' school, figuring I'd get caught and kicked off the paper's staff at the very least."

"I never could resist a challenge," Sakura admitted with a laugh as she paid for the book, "so I took her up on it.  I went over to the boys' school to do a thorough investigation and turn in the best report she would ever see.  While I was doing my investigating I ran across Ayame and Shigure plotting some sort of mischief.  I can't recall right off hand what it was, but I inadvertently wound up wrapped up in it.  It came off perfectly though if I remember correctly.  Hatori scolded all of us for it, even though he didn't know me.  After that, I just seemed to run into them every time I turned around, and eventually we became friends.  That made Shizuru even angrier. She figured since she was the president of the student body at our school she should date the student body president of the boys' school, which at the time was Ayame and she hated the fact that I seemed to always be around them."

"I remember Ayame talking about being the president, but I don't think he ever mentioned Shizuru- _san_ ," Tohru said.

"Truthfully, Ayame probably didn’t even know she existed," Sakura said.

"Poor Shizuru- _san_!" Tohru exclaimed.

"Looking back at that, I do feel kind of bad for her, but at the time I just gloated about it," Sakura said.  "I wasn't very nice to her either, which probably didn't help matters much."

They left the bookstore, weaving their way through the crowds.  "I think the four years that I knew Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure were the best years of my entire life," Sakura said.  "They were and still are some of the most wonderful people I know.  When I left, I missed them quite a bit."

"Why did you go to America?" Tohru asked.

"My father got transferred back to America after I graduated from high school.  I suppose I could have gone to school here, but there were some… problems… and I thought it would be best to leave for a little while," Sakura admitted.  "I didn't want to cause them trouble."

"Did something happen?" Tohru asked.

Sakura shook her head.  "It's nothing to worry about," she smiled.

Tohru caught a glimpse of one of the clocks and gasped.  "Oh my gosh!  I need to get back to Shigure- _san_ 's house!  I have to fix dinner for them!"

Sakura smiled as they exited the shopping center and made their way to her car.

"Would you like to eat with us?" Tohru asked after they got inside.

"I'd love to," Sakura replied, "I'll take your cooking over mine any day, Tohru- _kun_. Do you need to stop at the grocery store on the way?"

"You don't have to do that," Tohru protested.  "I can go after we get back to the house…"

"Nonsense. I kept you from it so I'll make it a little easier on you," Sakura replied.

"You're so kind, Sakura- _san_ ," Tohru beamed.  "I'm glad you met Shigure- _san_ and the others so that we could meet."

"Maybe next time we get together, I'll tell you how I met your mother," Sakura said as she started the car.

"I'd love to hear about it!  Mom didn't talk a lot about things like that," Tohru said excitedly.


	5. Children at Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are back on track and Ayame Sohma conveniently runs into Sakura and embroils her in his latest scheme to see his beloved younger brother finally with the girl he adores. Unfortunately, luck isn't entirely with Sakura as the fairytale her classroom is putting on and she draws the notice of the one person she's been trying to avoid.

**Basket Four: Children at Play**

**_"Sakura-chan, how_** fortuitous that we would meet at this moment!"

Sakura glanced up in startlement and smiled at Ayame.  "It's been a while," she grinned.  "How is business?"

"It is going splendidly, the new line seems to be going over very well," he said.  "So how are you faring on this oh-so-lovely day?"

"Better now that I've seen you," Sakura laughed.

Ayame pressed his hand over his heart.  "Ah the flower of my youthful past has complimented me yet again. Darling, we should go out to lunch and celebrate our reunion."

Chuckling, Sakura agreed.  "Well, I think this makes the fifth time we've celebrated our reunion."

"Ah, but you can never celebrate good fortune too much, and having you back in Japan is good fortune indeed," Ayame said expansively.

They went into one of Ayame's favorite restaurants and he ordered potsticker plates for both of them.  "Sakura- _chan_ what brings you to this part of town?"

"I was bored and needed something to do," she responded.  "I was considering visiting you later."

"You don't come nearly enough, Sakura- _chan_ ," Ayame chided her.  "If I didn’t know better I would think you like Gure- _san_ more than me."

"Oh, I could never do that," Sakura said with mock shock.  "Shigure's just not as busy as you and 'Tori- _san_."

"Well, I have gotten word from a certain individual that you have been by to see Hatori- _san_ a bit more lately and yet you don't visit me, it shatters my fragile heart—" he said melodramatically.

"Now I can't have that happen!" Sakura exclaimed.  "From this point forward, I declare today my day to spend with Ayame, at least until you have to return to what you were doing."

"That pleases me quite well, my darling, perhaps, I shall now recover," Ayame said.

Sakura giggled and they talked over dinner.  Leaving the restaurant later, they went to one of the gardens and Ayame became quiet.  "Sakura," his voice was unusually serious.

She glanced up.  "Have you met Tohru Honda yet?" he asked.

"Quite a few times actually, I do go over to Shigure's quite often," Sakura reminded him.

''And you are aware of my brother's affections for her?" he questioned.

"The only one that doesn't seem to be aware of them is Honda- _san_ herself," Sakura answered.

"I would like to remedy that fact," Ayame stated firmly.

Sakura looked up at him in surprise.  "I would think it would be best for him to decide if he wishes to tell her," Sakura frowned.

"I invited them to my shop not very long ago and he still did not declare his love for her even though I gave them every opportunity and she looked so lovely in that dress…" Ayame sighed.  "I must see that my brother is happy and as he will not allow me into his heart, he has already developed great affection for Tohru- _kun_ , I daresay it may even be love and yet he leaves it unspoken.  I fear that with his recalcitrance another will swoop in and claim the beautiful princess for themselves, and I cannot allow that to happen!  I do not wish to see my dear brother's heart shattered like that!"

A few people directed odd looks towards them, but Sakura was used to drawing looks when she was with Ayame and ignored them.  "And to that end I've formulated a plan that is sure to work," he stated, "and I need your help."

"So what exactly are you planning?" she inquired, intrigued despite herself.

"You are their homeroom teacher correct?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," she replied.

"And they have a school culture festival planned soon?" he continued.

"Well, yes, they do," Sakura answered.

"Then it will work splendidly!" He clapped his hands.  "See, here is my plan…"

Sakura listened and her eyes widened.  "You want me to do what?" she exclaimed.

"Come, come it should be very entertaining," Ayame said coaxingly.

Sakura made a face.  "It does sound like fun," she admitted.

"Then you'll do it?" he asked eagerly.

"I'll do my best," Sakura sighed.

"You're absolutely wonderful!" he exclaimed.  "Marry me, darling!"

Sakura blinked and then they both burst out laughing.  "That, Aya- _chan_ , was going a little far, don't you think?" Sakura managed.

He grinned at her.  "But the look on your face for that split second was absolutely priceless, Sakura- _chan_ , that in and of itself makes it worth it."

"How is Mine anyway?" she asked.

"Ah, my little angel is doing just wonderfully," Ayame said grandiosely.  "She is the sweetest little…"

He trailed off and grinned.  "But I shall not bore you with details like that today," he said.  "Shall we go somewhere else?"

"The rest of my day is free, we can go wherever you like," Sakura smiled.  "I'm glad to be home."

"I'm glad you're back," he replied with seriousness.

**_"As you_** all know the culture fest is coming up soon, and, while it will be very difficult to beat last year's onigiri stand, time does move on and we have to do new things," Sakura announced to her class the next day.  "For second years, this cultural festival is celebrating the arts of music, drama, and drawing.  One of the other classes has elected to do a Japanese folk tale and another is doing a more modern day work, therefore I thought that perhaps we should do something different.  Are there any suggestions?"

"How about a fairy tale?" Yuki Sohma suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea!"

Sakura concealed a smile as everyone immediately latched onto Yuki's idea.  Kyo looked somewhat discontented and scowled at his cousin's back.  "If we are going to do a fairy tale, what should we do?"

"Sleeping Beauty!"

"Jack and the Beanstalk!"

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!"

"Cinderella?"

Tohru said the last somewhat hesitantly and the Prince Yuki fangirls immediately scoffed it off.  Sakura listened as everyone suggested several other titles, but she knew that Yuki would most likely make the last decision.  "I think Cinderella sounds like a wonderful idea, Honda- _san_ ," he said calmly.

Sakura very calmly wrote all the names on the board and offered it up for a popular vote.  Cinderella won, of course.  "Sohma- _san_ if you would please start organizing the class into who is going to work on what while I write the roles down on a piece of paper."

"Of course," Yuki got up with the class representative and they began to go over the various things that they needed.

After several minutes, Sakura dropped the strips of paper into a bag and shook it up.  Yuki noticed her action and called for silence and looked at her in question.  "To make things more interesting I've put all the roles in Cinderella in this bag.  Everyone in the class will draw a paper and that will be your role, regardless of any objections you may have.  It is only fair," she said.  "Sohma- _kun_ you will draw first.  The roles will not be announced until after everyone has drawn."

He nodded and reached into the bag and drew out a paper, Sakura noted with satisfaction it was the one with an odd fold in the corner.  The class filed up and drew their papers and Tohru wound up coming up last and Sakura let a final slip of paper fall from her hand into the bag as Tohru reached in.  She drew it out and went back to her seat.   "All right, you may now open them."

"What the—" Kyo burst out.  "How am I supposed to be the fairy godmother?"

Sakura barely managed to keep from laughing at his outburst.  "So who's Cinderella?" one of the Prince Yuki fan club girls asked.

Tohru raised her hand hesitantly and Sakura frowned as she saw the angry look fill the girls' faces.  "It was luck of the draw," she said calmly.  "Who is the Prince?"

"I am," Yuki admitted.

"That is a fitting role, but _her_ as Cinderella? I demand a redraw!" one of the girls said.

A steel pipe slammed into the desk in front of her and Uotani glared down at her.  "Why don't you shut your trap?  It was _luck of the draw_ ," she snarled.

"You don't scare me," the girl tried to put a brave face on.

"Do you _really_ wish to voice your objections to Tohru- _kun_ 's role?" Hanajima asked in a cool tone.

"Uotani- _san_ please put the pipe up," Sakura said calmly.  "There will be no redraw.   Remember what I said at the beginning."

The girl quieted and darted frightened looks at Hanajima.  "Congratulations on your role, Tohru- _kun_ ," the dark-haired girl said.  "It looks as though I will be your evil stepmother."

"Do I have to wear a dress to be one of the stepsisters?" Uotani demanded.

"It is the costume," Sakura said.

Uotani grumbled somewhat.  "What are you freakin' objecting to?  I'm the _fairy godmother_ ," Kyo spat out.

"I think you'll look good in a dress orange-head," Uotani retorted.

"Say that again, Yankee," Kyo growled, glaring at the blonde.

"I think—" she began.

"Enough," Sakura frowned at the two and looked at Yuki.  "Sohma- _san_ , the rest of the period is yours to discuss scheduling and such."

"Of course," Yuki said and took his place at the front of the class again.

**_"Cinderella?"_ **

Ayame sounded somewhat disappointed and Sakura chuckled.  "It was the best that came up, no one voted for Sleeping Beauty as you were hoping."

"Couldn't you have just said that you were going to have them do Sleeping Beauty?" he asked.

She shook her head.  "I was lucky they even chose to do fairy tales as we planned.  When the plans depend on outside people they usually don't go exactly right, I did, however, manage to arrange it so that Honda- _san_ was Cinderella."

"And Yuki?" Ayame inquired.

"The Prince," Sakura laughed, "I didn't even have to rig that one, it just happened.  Kyo drew the fairy godmother."

Ayame's golden eyes widened and then he began to laugh so hard tears streamed down his cheeks.  "That's about how Shigure reacted as well," Sakura chuckled.  "I'd almost feel bad for him, but it is entirely too amusing.  Kyo's still sore about it though."

"I shall make Tohru- _kun_ 's gown for the play," he announced firmly, after he stopped laughing.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that.  "A professionally made dress?" she looked surprised.

"One sure to stir Yuki's male heart and make him declare his love for her," Ayame said firmly.

"They are only in high school, Ayame," she frowned.

"It will be a perfectly innocent dress!" Ayame proclaimed.  "I would never do anything to make Tohru- _kun_ uncomfortable."

She saw the seriousness in his eyes and nodded.  "All right, we'll see."

"You are a wonderful and amazing person, Sakura! I am honored to have you as a friend," he said grandly.

She laughed softly.  "You better remember that," she grinned.

"I shall treat you to a meal fit for royalty for all of your assistance," he said.

"I'm going to get chubby with all the meals you're buying me lately, Ayame," Sakura laughed.

**_"I am_** not going to wear _that_!" Kyo exclaimed, glaring at the dress laid out for him the day of the play.

"You're only in the play for three scenes, Kyo," Sakura said.  "You can take it off in between your first and last scenes, they worked very hard on it."

"I think it rather suits you, Kyo," Yuki said, his eyes glinting with malicious mirth.

"Then why don't you wear it!" Kyo snarled.  "Damn rat!"

"Don't fight here!" Tohru exclaimed racing into the room.

As soon as they saw her both boys froze in place.  Sakura followed their gazes and smiled slightly.  Ayame had done a wonderful job on the dress.  The pale green color perfectly suited Tohru's eyes, the touches of lace and tulle were absolutely astounding.  She looked at them with wide eyes and flushed.  "Ayame- _san_ insisted on making me a dress when he found out I was going to be in a play opposite of Yuki- _kun_."

Both boys had flushes darkening their cheeks and Sakura prayed that it didn't discomfit them enough to make them change.  Yuki recovered first and stepped forward.  "You look lovely, Honda- _san_ ," he said.

"Yeah, you look good," Kyo added grudgingly, his red-brown eyes shooting daggers at Yuki before turning back to Tohru and softening.

"You don't think it's too much, I told him that he shouldn't have," Tohru said, her hands smoothing over the material.

Yuki shook his head with a gentle smile and Kyo nodded curtly before snatching up his costume and stalking to the dressing room.  "Yuki- _kun_ , your costume came out really well too," Tohru said.

Sakura quietly went and checked on a few things and then returned.  "You'd better go change into your costume for the first act, Honda- _san_ ," she reminded her, reluctantly breaking in.

"Oh, of course!" Tohru exclaimed.  "I hope I don't mess up too badly."

"I have every faith in you, Honda- _san_ ," Sakura chuckled.  "Don't worry so much."

**_The play_** had gone without a hitch thus far as Sakura watched the ballroom scene from the side of the stage near the curtain and light control.  At the end of the scene, Tohru ran off the stage managing to leave her shoe behind without tripping as she had in the rehearsals.  She paused next to Sakura.  "Was that all right?" she asked somewhat breathlessly, her eyes were sparkling happily.

"Very nice, Honda- _san_ ," Sakura smiled.  "Now only one more switch."

She nodded and left and Sakura turned her eyes to Kyo who was glowering in his pink gown.  "Only one more scene, Sohma- _san_ ," she said with a slight grin.

Kyo glared at her.  "Shut up," he mumbled.

Sakura chuckled and the curtains rose again.  She watched in silence as the stepsister's both went into raptures over the idea of the prince finding them to be his true love.  Tohru was on the stage floor, pretending she was scrubbing.  Her lovely dress was hidden beneath a ragged brown swath of material.  And the sound effect for the knock on the door echoed and Yuki came on stage.  Watching the final scenes, Sakura smiled in satisfaction. Ayame probably wasn’t going to get his desired result, but it had come off so far very nicely.

Tohru was seated on the chair after the Prince declared that she also must try on the shoe and it slid into place as Kyo stalked onto stage.  "Now you may have your happy ending," he declared in a loud, angry voice and waved his wand.

Tohru delayed a split second as the lights dimmed just a little and the brown material was dropped revealing the dress and everyone else left the stage as the spotlight illuminated Tohru and Yuki.  "I have found you at last, my love," Yuki said in a regal voice.  "Come. Let me take you away from all this drudgery. We shall live happily ever after."

Tohru got up and Sakura's sharp eye caught the fact that her shoe was caught in the mantle just before she started falling.  "Holy—"

Tohru's eyes widened in horror as she tripped and fell towards Yuki.  The lights went out and the curtain dropped just as their bodies made contact and a *POOF* echoed.  She watched Tohru grab Yuki and his clothing and bolt off stage.  "I am so sorry!" she exclaimed.  "I can't believe—"

"Don't worry, Honda- _san_ no one saw but me," Sakura said quietly.  "They're all getting ready for their last bow.  Go set him down inside your dressing room and I'll cover until he changes back."

Tohru nodded and Sakura went out onto the stage.  "I apologize, there was a bit of technical difficulty during that last scene, but I am sure you all know the end of that story," she said with a smile.  "They lived happily ever after.  I'd like to thank you all for coming to class 2-D's presentation of Cinderella.  Let me introduce you to our company."

She went through the names a little more slowly than she rehearsed, her mind calculating quickly how long it would take Yuki to transform back and get his costume back on.  Finally, when the time seemed about right she finished.  "And Tohru Honda and Yuki Sohma as Cinderella and the Prince."

There was a couple seconds pause before the two came out and took center stage, bowing at the audience amid claps and cheers.  "And that concludes our presentation.  Thank you again!" Sakura said and everyone filed off stage.

**_A few_** hours later, Sakura leaned against the side of the building staring at the stars reeling at how close to disaster the night came.  "It's a good thing you're quick on your feet," Shigure observed, regarding her steadily.

She turned her head and saw Shigure watching her intently.  As was customary when he was outside of his house or the Sohma compound, Shigure was wearing a neatly pressed suit with a dark green tie.  His eyes were cast in shadows and Sakura felt a prickle of uneasiness.

"It went fine in rehearsals," Sakura sighed.  "I'm just glad I was able to keep anyone from finding out."

She leaned her head against the wall.  "If he finds out, Akito will not be pleased," she said softly.

Even ten years later, her stomach still clenched in fear and her back burned at the thought of an audience with the Sohma head.

"He was in the audience tonight," Shigure told her quietly.

Sakura's eyes went wide and flew to meet his.  "That's not something to joke about Shigure."

"I wouldn't joke about it," Shigure stated.  "Not that and not to you."

Sakura closed her eyes and swore softly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to take a moment to reiterate the fact that this story is -entirely- based off of the 2001 anime series. 
> 
> In that series there is no doubts about Akito being a boy (I know in the manga things are not as expected--a series can't be out for over 10 years and me completely avoid any kind of spoilers--my mom & sister are HUGE Fruits Basket fans and like all people who love their shows things slip). However, since that is the portrayal in the series, for the intents and purposes of this story Akito is male.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	6. Never Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the fallout from the incident at the play, Sakura is summoned to Akito. Before Hatori arrives, her cousin Megumi has some words of wisdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late post, I was not at my computer at all yesterday so I didn't really get a chance to go over the chapter and post it. I could blame it on the Game of Thrones finale and people might buy it--except I never managed to get past episode 3 of season 1. I did see the list of who lived and died and I'm happy to say 3 of the 4 of the characters I liked made it to the end (no spoilers I promise).
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter and the one after that will be posted as planned Wednesday--after I watch the new episode of "Wise Man's Grandson" ^_^

**Basket Five: Never Forget**

**_The telephone_** rang, awaking Sakura from a fitful sleep.  She reached for it and answered groggily.  " _Moshi, moshi._ "

"He wants to see you," Shigure's voice was quiet.

Sakura sat bolt upright in her bed.  "What?" she exclaimed, immediately awake.

"Akito wants to see you," he repeated.

Her hands clenched in the comforter as a shiver slid down her spine.  "Why?" she said.

"Not even I know everything he is going to do," Shigure said.  "Hatori will be there to pick you up in about an hour.  Do you think you can do it again?"

Sakura's eyes closed.  "I honestly don't know, Shigure," she stated soberly.  "Maybe it won't come to that."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.  "What's changed since that time?" he finally asked.

"If I still remember later, I'll tell you," Sakura stated.  "I'd better get ready.  I'll come see you if I can."

Silently, she hung up the phone and stared sightlessly at the far wall.  She stumbled from her bed and into the living room where photo albums were the only things on her shelf.  All her little knick-knacks and books were still piled in a suitcase next to the shelf that they would be going on.  She reached for them and began thumbing through them, tears stinging her eyes.  The telephone rang again, and she frowned.  _What now?_

She was half-tempted to let it go to the answering machine, but instead she picked it up.  " _Moshi, moshi_."

"Sakura, is that you?"

"Megumi?" Sakura sounded surprised.

"Thank goodness, I just heard everything!" Megumi exclaimed.  "I am so sorry!"

Sakura's hand clenched on the phone.  "This really isn't a good time to go into this," she said flatly.

"On the contrary, if that's how you're feeling then it's the best time to go into it," Megumi stated softly.  "If it makes you feel any better I made it in time for the court date."

"I really don't want to talk about this," she said in a strained voice.

"Everything was dropped," Megumi continued relentlessly.  "Uncle Jason left me a copy of his will as well.  Those greedy bastards aren't going to see a penny of it.  I'm sorry I didn't make it for the ceremony, but I didn't know, I was somewhere in a rural village in China."

"There wasn't even a ceremony until I got home two months after the fact," Sakura stated.  "They were all too busy fighting over his money to even think about laying them to rest.  Of course, they were too busy to even think about trying to find me and telling me what happened."

"That doesn't sound like you, Sakura," Megumi said quietly.  "Are you really going to let them win like this?"

"What?" she exclaimed.

"Are you going to let them win?" she repeated.  "Seriously, of all of us, they hated you the most and by letting them get to you like this they're winning."

Sakura dropped into a chair.  "I don't understand why they hate the Japanese so much, it's been decades since World War II.  I understand that they lost some very important people, but…"

"Uncle Jason and my dad understood that it was an old grudge that should be forgotten, of course falling in love probably helped them come to that realization," Megumi said, Sakura could hear a smile in her voice.

"How are Uncle Jared and Aunt Hikaru anyway?" Sakura questioned.

"Understandably devastated by the loss," Megumi said soberly.  "They didn't find out either until they came back from Mother's tour in Europe.  Of all of us, they were the easiest to contact and no one bothered."

"I hate them," Sakura declared quietly.

"They're seriously not worth it, Sakura," Megumi stated.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.  "I didn't know you weren't told either," Sakura finally admitted.

"You thought _we'd_ keep it from you?" Megumi exclaimed.  "Sakura!"

Sakura winced slightly, but a light smile curved her lips at her cousin's expressive voice.  "I don't know what happened to you just before you came back with your parents, but whatever it was, you're letting them color your perspective on everything too," her cousin's voice was displeased.  "What happened to not letting anyone get you down?"

"It's a lot harder in practice than theory," Sakura told her.

"Maybe so, but you can do it," she stated.  "You've been to hell and back on your assignments, don't let something ruin the life you have now."

"Sometimes I wonder…" Sakura said slowly.

"I remember a long time ago someone told me 'Don't ever regret the past, Meg, without it you would not be where you are now and the life you have now would be only a pale shadow'," Megumi said quietly.  "She told me 'It's not okay to forget anything, good or bad, because if you do and let regret color your life you will never be able to move on'.  Do you remember who said that to me?"

"I remember," Sakura said softly.

"Bet you never thought your own words would come back to haunt you, did you?" Megumi said.

"I borrowed it from someone else," Sakura admitted.  "A woman that I met only a few times.  She always had the knack to say exactly what I needed to hear at the exact time I needed to hear it."

"Whoever said it was very wise," Megumi murmured.

"I met her daughter here," Sakura said.  "Oddly enough, she's gotten herself entangled in the Sohmas as well."

"I wish you'd tell me more about the significance of being 'entangled with the Sohmas'," Megumi complained.

"I made a promise, Meg," Sakura said solemnly.

"I know, that's why I don't press you for it," Megumi replied.  "But anyway, I had probably better go, I'm going to scream at the long distance bill as it is."

Sakura laughed.  "I'm glad you called, I didn't think there'd be anyone else who could tell me the exact thing I wanted to hear, exactly when I needed it.  It's one thing to tell yourself that, but when it comes from someone else…"

"I'll have to come visit you over the holidays or something, I hear you're a teacher now," Megumi said.

"Yes, I am," Sakura smiled.

"I never thought I'd see that day, but I'm glad," Megumi said.  "Now I know you'll be around when I need you later unless something really bad happens."

"I thought you were going to go," Sakura chuckled.

"I am, but I wanted to verify the rumor before I started my celebrations. The assignment before last put fear of your mortality in me," Megumi said soberly.  "You were always indestructible and immortal before then."

"No one is ever immortal," she said.

"Yes, but some people are larger than life and you like to think that they'll be around forever," her cousin replied.  "Be careful.  I'll definitely come to see you during the holidays."

"I'll look forward to it," Sakura said.  "And Megumi—"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"No problem, it was about time it was my turn to help you out," Megumi smiled.  "Bye!"

"Bye."

Sakura hung up the phone and felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  She stood up and went to her room to get dressed.  The intercom buzzed just after she finished and she answered it.  "Yes?"

"It's me, Sakura."

Hatori's voice, Sakura's heart stopped for just a second and then she squared her shoulders.  "I'll be right down," she said.

Hatori looked even more solemn than normal and Sakura met his eyes with her own.  "He's not going to win," she stated firmly.  "I won't let him…"

"You know that I won't have any choice in the matter if he commands it," Hatori said softly.

"I know," Sakura answered and she reached up and patted his cheek.  "Have a little faith, Hatori- _san_."

He opened the door for her and she sat down, mentally focusing herself.  The drive to Sohma house was completed in silence.  A glance out of the corner of her eye, revealed tension around Hatori's lips and strain in his eyes.  For a moment she wanted to reach out and assure him that everything would be all right, but she didn't want to give false comfort.  _Thank you, Megumi_ , she added again mentally to her cousin.

They reached Sohma house and proceeded immediately to Akito's chambers.  As usual, Akito was dressed in his kimono.  The rooms were in shadows and a white bird dipped its beak into a water bowl on one of the only tables in the otherwise spartan room.  "Leave us, Hatori, until I summon you," he commanded.

Hatori nodded slowly and quietly stepped outside of the room leaving Sakura with Akito for the first time in almost ten years.  Fear tried to wriggle its way down her spine and she pushed it away, looking at him with inscrutable eyes.  "I didn't think I'd have to see your face again, ever," he said silkily and the bird took flight out the open sliding doors leading to the garden.

Sakura maintain her silence as Akito stalked towards her.  "Don't you remember the lesson I taught you last time?" he questioned.

For a moment, Sakura felt the sting on the whip on her back again, but she didn't let it phase her.  "I remember what you did last time," she stated flatly, "but you can't order people to feel things."

"Perhaps you need another lesson," he said coolly.

"Do your worst," Sakura challenged him.  "I left in tears last time, you won't win again."

Anger flared in Akito's eyes and he struck out at her.  The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but she said nothing.  "I told you to stay away from us, Sakura," he growled.  "Yet you dare show your face again?"

"I'm not yours to command," Sakura said flatly.

"Kureno," Akito hissed.

The young man that Sakura had only seen once before on that fateful day almost ten years ago stepped out, carrying with him a coiled black whip.  Oddly enough, Sakura didn't feel nearly the fear that she'd felt the last time that this had happened.  Looking considering, she very calmly turned her back and undid her shirt letting it fall to her waist.  "Might as well get it over and done with, no?" she inquired.  "This is what happened last time isn't it?

She glanced over her shoulder at Akito and saw something flash through his eyes as he let the tip of the whip hit the ground.  He went to lift it and met her eyes again and swore throwing the whip aside.  "Hatori!" he shouted.

Sakura put the shirt back on and was finishing buttoning it when Hatori entered the room.  He saw the mark on her cheek a something close to anger flickered through his eyes, but was gone before he looked at Akito.  "Yes, Akito?" he inquired.

"Remove this woman's memory," he ordered.

For a split second, Hatori hesitated but then nodded, grimness filling his features.  "I'm sorry, Sakura," he said quietly, placing his hand over her eyes.

Blazing white light filled her vision and she felt herself falling backwards onto the wooden floor.

**_The ceiling_** above her came into focus and Sakura put a hand to her head.  "How are you feeling?"

She glanced over and saw a dark-haired man with green eyes in a lab coat.  "What happened?" she asked.

"You fell and hit your head, Miss—"

"Sakura, Sakura Alexander," she replied.

"I'm not sure how you got here, but I will see that you get a ride home, provided you can remember—" he said, there was a little strain underlying his voice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This plays on an old Fruits Basket theory of mine that I don't know if it's true or not, but I'll roll with it. Basically the theory is that if you truly don't want to forget, that you don't regret the memories at all then Hatori's memory removing ability doesn't work as planned. Every example we have of Hatori's ability is on a person who seems to truly want to forget or children (who wouldn't have enough willpower to face down a scary adult). 
> 
> I've managed to get through volume 5 of the manga so far, but I am hesitating starting on volume 6 because from what I understand that's about where the 2001 anime ends and more or less where "When Spring Comes" begins. I'll get it read though, it's been ten years (or so) after all ^_^
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	7. Cherry Blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a corridor of cherry blossoms a memory remains, will it be enough?

** Basket Six: Cherry Blossoms **

**_Remember…_ **

_…Pale white petals floated by her born on the soft spring wind and she turned around admiring their beauty.  As usual, the lane between her school and the all-boys' school down the street was empty.  Up ahead, partially hidden by the cherry blossoms, she saw three boys in black school uniforms waiting under one of the huge flowering cherry trees.  They had unusually solemn looks on their faces, and she slowed down to see if she could hear what they were discussing so seriously._

_"Why are we even here?" Hatori asked.  "She's not coming."_

_"I felt the need to come here one last time and feed myself some false comfort in thinking that at any moment she's going to come racing down that lane and apologize for being late," Shigure explained.  "It’s a false hope, but I can’t resist its lure."_

_"What's done is done, there’s nothing we can do. We must follow the head's commands," Hatori said dully._

_"We can come here one last time and cherish the memory of the flower that we left behind," Ayame said.  "You cannot deny that you feel that way too.  Sakura may have been a fleeting presence in our life, but she has left an indelible mark on us and being here one last time, just on the off-chance we may see her from a distance…"_

_"You two are masochistic, I'm going to class," Hatori said and turned away and his eyes met Sakura's.  "What are you doing here?"_

_"Isn't this where we usually meet before school, Hatori-san?" Sakura frowned at him, looking puzzled._

_"But—" he began._

_"Sakura!" Shigure exclaimed.  "You're here.  How—"_

_There was something on their faces that she hadn't seen before.  A combination of stunned disbelief, hope, and something else she couldn't quite put her fingers on.  "I know I'm a little late, but it happens that way when Mom and Dad are home…are you guys all right?  You look a little pale."_

_"But last week…" Ayame finally spoke._

_"Oh, that unpleasantness with your family head?" Sakura asked.  "I almost forgot about that.  Things have been crazy around the house. Mom and Dad are back from America and they were trying to fit everything they meant to do with me in the past three months in last week because they'll be leaving again tomorrow.  I didn't have a chance to call or get a hold of you guys because of that."_

_"You still remember everything?" Hatori asked in a low voice._

_Sakura nodded.  "Why wouldn't I?"_

_"Because…" Hatori trailed off.  "Never mind, it doesn't matter."_

_"Oh."_

_The pieces fell into place in her mind, and Sakura suddenly understood what had worried her friends.  "When you put your hand over my eyes and that bright flash…that's what happens when you have to conceal people's memories?"_

_He nodded soberly.  "I didn’t' realize that," Sakura said.  "I guess it doesn't work on me.  That can be a good thing right?"_

_"It could also be very bad."_

_There was a worried look in Shigure's eyes.  "If the head finds out…"_

_"By all results in the past, something like this should_ never _happen. Your memory should be gone," Hatori said._

_Sakura bit her lip.  "Would you all be happier if I forgot?" she asked softly._

_"NO!" Ayame's voice was forceful._

_"It isn't that we wanted you to forget," Shigure began to explain, "it's just…"_

_"There could be some serious ramifications for you, if the head finds out it didn't work," Hatori finished._

_"Do you want me to pretend that none of this ever happened?" Sakura demanded.  "Do you want me to forget that I was friends with some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known?  You want me to forget everything that's happened in the past year and a half?"_

_"Sakura…" Hatori began._

_"I don't want to forget!" Sakura stormed at them.  "I never want to forget anything that ever happens to me!  If I forgot about you then I would forget almost every single happy memory that I have had for the past year and a half!  Did you want to forget me?"_

_The boys paled at her comments.  "No, Sakura, we didn't want to forget," Hatori said softly.  "We're worried about you."_

_"Well, stop it then," Sakura snapped.  "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself.  If you don't want me to be around anymore, I can arrange it, you know."_

_"That's not what we want," Shigure said, grabbing her shoulders._

_She jerked out of his grasp and took several steps back, trying to keep herself from crying._

_"Then what do you want?" Sakura asked quietly.  "Do you want us to pretend the past year and a half never happened?"_

_"No."_

_Hatori's voice was quiet and Ayame and Shigure nodded in agreement.  "We just don't want you to be hurt."_

_"You've already said that," she snapped._

_"Sakura, we're cursed, and with that curse comes many unpleasant things," Hatori tried to explain._

_"Does that make you any less human?  Does that make you not want to enjoy what happiness you can find?  Does it make you need friendship less?  I don't just mean a friendship like what you three have, but a friend from outside that knows, but still wants to be your friend.  I don't see where there's any difference between you three and me except gender and that I can't actually hug you without you turning into an animal."_

_Sakura took in a deep breath.  "If you want to halt things, tell me now, because until you tell me to get lost, you guys are stuck with me forever."_

_Ayame smiled.  "I don't see where that's a bad thing at all.  After all, our lives would be so dull and gray without our flower to brighten things!"_

_"And boring too," Shigure added with a grin.  "Who else would help us find other ways to liven up our peers' lives?"_

_"_ That _is not necessarily a good thing," Hatori scowled at Shigure and then looked at Sakura. "The thought of pretending the last year and a half didn't happen doesn't appeal to me either."_

_"Then what do you want to do?" Sakura asked._

_"Even if we must keep it a secret from everyone forever, I will do it," Ayame said gravely._

_"I agree with Aya on this one, Hatori," Shigure said quietly._

_Hatori looked at his cousins and then at Sakura.  "If I have to, I can be secretive," Sakura said.  "Hatori, I really don't want to give up our friendship.  It's not something that comes along every day and to just throw it away would be a horrible waste."_

_Hatori looked away from her intent eyes and then cleared his throat.  "As long as you don't forget us, we will never abandon you," he said solemnly.  "Our friendship is something that I wouldn’t voluntarily want to give up.  Not for as long as we all remember it."_

_"Then it's settled."_

A mischievous grin curved Sakura's lips and she practically sprang off the bed and embraced Hatori.  There was a *POOF* and in her hands was a very disgruntled looking sea horse.  "I still rememberl, 'Tori- _san_ ," she said to him.  "It didn't work."

She set him down on the ground near his clothing and settled on the bed, crossing her legs.  "No matter how hard it is, I want to remember everything that happens to me, even the bad stuff.  Why would I want to forget the good things?"

_The key to remembering is never wanting to forget…_

A few minutes later she closed her eyes and another *POOF* echoed.  She kept her eyes averted as Hatori began to put his clothing back on.  "That was completely unnecessary, Sakura," he scowled at her.

She glanced up at him and grinned.  "I couldn't resist, your zodiac form is so cute."

"I must say that I was worried for a moment," he admitted.  "Akito will not be pleased."

"He can deal with it," Sakura said airily.  "You're kinda stuck with me 'Tori- _san._ I won't be going anywhere any time soon.  Remember our promise?"

"As long as you don't forget us, we will never abandon you," he repeated the words from so long ago.

"Exactly, it holds true for me too," Sakura said.  "I won't ever forget you guys, _ever_."

"Are you all right? I noticed you have a bruise," he said.

Sakura reached up and touched her cheek and winced slightly.  "I'll be fine, it was typical Akito.  I'll just say that I lost my balance while I was putting things up in my apartment.  Accidents happen."

"When I came in…" he began.

Sakura shrugged.  "Don't worry about it.  I think I should go visit Shigure, I think he may be a little worried.  He's the one that delivered the summons."

She eased off the bed and for a moment her legs seem to waver under her and she caught the edge to steady herself.  "You'll be disoriented for a bit," he said.  "Although I haven't had much experience in this particular aspect of my ability."

"The disorientation goes away after a few minutes, I remember it from the last time," Sakura said.  "I'll just hold the bed up for a little bit longer."

"I'll drive you to Shigure's," he offered.

"If it wouldn't be too much bother, I wouldn't mind the ride. After all, my car is at home," Sakura said.

"I won't be able to stay though," he added.  "After he loses his temper like that, Akito generally gets very ill later and I am his doctor."

"I understand," Sakura said.

"No, you don't understand," Hatori said quietly, "but it is not something that I could explain to you because you are not a Sohma."

Sakura closed her eyes.  "I wish that wouldn't keep getting thrown in my face.  I know very well what I am not."

He touched her shoulder gently and she looked up at him in question, but he didn't say anything.  "I know," she finally sighed.  "There's no help for it, but I can't help trying to figure it out.  I guess it's my nature."

They climbed into his car and Sakura leaned her head against the seat, the world still spun a bit here and there, but for the most part everything was back in order.  Inside, she was shaking much harder than Hatori's driving over the roads between Sohma house and Shigure's could account for.  After all of her bravado, she almost forgot.

She closed her eyes, the simmering rage inside being fed another log.

"Are you sure you're all right, Sakura?" Hatori asked quietly.

Sakura nodded, not willing to look at him with a false smile.  "I'm fine," she assured him.  "The road's just a little rougher than I remember."

"Liar," he said quietly.

Sakura gave him a startled look, but his eyes were fixed on the road ahead and she sighed.  "I supposed instead of saying I'm fine, I should say ‘I will be fine’."

"Are you sure you want to stay tangled up with the Sohmas?" he questioned her.

"I'm not going to let him win," Sakura said fiercely.  "You, Shigure, and Ayame are very important to me and to decide not to be around you after we've been through so much would be very cowardly.  If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's not being a coward.  Anyone who wants to forget things is a coward…"

"Sakura."

There was a tone in his voice that made Sakura draw in a sharp breath and cover her mouth.  "I'm sorry, that didn't come out right, I wasn't meaning…"

"It's of no matter," he said.  "Sometimes forgetting really is for the best."

"I don’t agree with you, Hatori," Sakura said softly.

They arrived at Shigure's a few minutes of silence later and Sakura got out.  "Thank you for the ride, Hatori.  I'll see you next time around."

"It would probably be best if you did not come to the Sohma compound for a little while," Hatori advised her.  "Akito will not be pleased and it could cause a lot of more trouble in the Sohma household than necessary."

"All right," Sakura agreed.  "I don't want to cause any more problems than I've already caused.  I guess I'll see you whenever I see you."

She shut the door quietly and trudged to the door.  It was opened before she reached it and she saw Shigure in the doorway, a worried look reflected in his gray eyes.  "Wow, I think that was the fastest the door has ever been opened for me," Sakura smiled at him, stopping just short of the door.  "Hello, Shi- _chan_."

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded.  "Nothing major, a minor bruise, some yelling, nothing to worry about."

"Did Akito do this?" Shigure asked, reaching up and lightly touching the bruise on her cheekbone.

"It could have been much worse," Sakura said quietly.

"Why do you so stubbornly stick around?" Shigure asked.

"Because I'm stubborn," she retorted.  "Are all of you going to ask me that?"

"Sakura…" he began.

"It's the way I am," she said simply and shivered at the cool breeze.

He stepped aside.  "Come in, it's getting chilly out there," he invited.

She entered and took off her shoes silently.  "Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are out shopping for some groceries, they'll probably be a little while still."

"I came by to talk to you anyway," Sakura said.  "I was thinking you may be a little worried after this morning.  I'm sorry to have caused you that trouble."

"I'm just glad you came out of it fine," Shigure said.  "Would you like to adjourn to my office for a drink?"

"I think I could use one," Sakura smiled wryly.  "Akito is nerve-wracking under normal circumstances."

They went into his office and he poured her a drink.  "I seem to remember you promising to explain some things to me if you still remembered," Shigure said.

She looked puzzled for a moment and then remembered her conversation with him this morning.  She swirled her drink in the glass watching the ripples in fascination.  "Sakura?" he said.

She sighed and looked up at him.  "Remember when I told you life was like an ocean voyage?  That sometimes it was clear sailing and then all the sudden you'd be hit with a storm and fighting to keep yourself afloat."

"I remember," he said.

"Well, it's been a hurricane lately," Sakura stated, "and, honestly, right now, I still don't want to talk about it."

"You're going to have to talk about it soon, Sakura," he said quietly.  "Your mask is starting to crack."

Sakura glanced up at him in startlement.  He smiled slightly.  "Did you think you could keep that happy-go-lucky mask of yours in place around me, Kura- _chan_?  Please remember who you're talking to."

"It's not fair," she mumbled.  "How can you read me so well when I can't even figure you out?"

"I can only read you sometimes," Shigure reminded her.  "Other times it's like staring into a murky pond trying figure out what's at the bottom."

The sound of a door opening echoed, followed by the words "I'm home."

"Maybe later," Sakura said, grateful for the interruption.

He frowned at her and she saw the genuine concern in his eyes and her hands clenched around her glass as she felt a sense of guilt.  She'd never kept anything from Shigure in the past, but something inside of her just didn't want to let go of what had its grip on her.

"Welcome home," he called, standing up to go greet his housemates.

Tohru appeared in the doorway and she smiled at them.  "Oh, Sakura- _san,_ you're here!"

"I was actually just going to leave…" Sakura said, standing up and losing her balance.

There was a POOF and Sakura found herself sprawled over a disgruntled looking dog.  She tried to put together the words to apologize but the world tilted on its axis and her vision went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is honestly one of my favorite chapters. I don't think it quite meshes with the Fruits Basket timeline (as far as the head of the Sohma Family that wanted Sakura to forget), but we'll leave it be. I don't want to go into a frenzy of research and rewriting, I just kinda want to get this one back up ^^; (and hopefully have it be a little better written and flow a bit better).
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Hide and Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura gets sick and says things that she may or may not regret later.

**Basket Seven: Hide and Seek**

**_"Sakura-san!" Tohru_** exclaimed, coming into the room and placing a hand on her forehead.

Sakura pulled away from Tohru’s hand and gave Shigure an apologetic look as she shifted.  "I'm sorry, Shigure, I didn't mean to this time."

"You're burning up, Sakura- _san_ ," Tohru said, worry in her sea green eyes.

"I'll be fine," Sakura assured her.  "I think I've just been out in the cold a little too much.  It'll pass soon enough."

She stood up and nearly fell again as the world spun around her.  This time Tohru ducked under her arm and supported her.  Yuki and Kyo appeared in the doorway.  "Honda- _san_ …"

"Sakura- _san_ is sick," Tohru said worriedly.

"I'll be fine," the older woman stated.  "I just need to get home and get some sleep and I'll be good in the morning.  Don't worry yourself unnecessarily Honda- _san._ It happens all the time about this time of year."

"Sleep here tonight," Tohru suggested.

Sakura quickly figured out that she wasn't in any shape to dispute the younger girl and sighed.  "I don’t want to put you out."

"You'll worry Honda- _san_ more if you attempt to go home, Alexander- _san_ ," Yuki said.

"You can use my bed, I'll sleep on the floor," Tohru said.

Sakura shook her head.  "I won't put you out of your bed, Honda- _san_.  The floor is fine…"

It turned out to be ineffective arguing with Tohru about who would sleep on the bed, the younger girl could be surprisingly firm when it came right down to it.  As it stood, Sakura barely made it to Tohru's room and into the bed before sleep overtook her.

**_The following_** morning, Sakura opened her eyes and did a double take.  Sitting in a chair next to the bed with a book in his hand, Shigure was reading quietly with an uncharacteristically serious air around him.  He glanced up at her.  "It's about time you woke up."

Sakura sat bolt upright in bed and flopped backwards as the world spun again.  "School…I've got to…"

"I called in for you," Shigure said.  "A doctor should be here any moment to take a look at you.  I wanted 'Tori- _san_ to come, but he's busy taking care of Akito."

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes.  "I didn't mean to cause any trouble," she finally said.

"You're not immortal, you can't help getting ill from time to time," he reassured her.

A smile quirked her lips.  "I told someone that I wasn't immortal just yesterday, how soon we forget, _ne_?"

"I think you've been fighting this off for quite a while though, you haven't quite been yourself for a little while now," Shigure observed.  "Since the night before Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki didn't make it to school."

Her hand tightened on the comforter.  "I suppose," she agreed.

"Whatever happened yesterday, I think, didn't help the matter," he added.

"As much as I would like to say it was all Akito's fault, it's not," Sakura said, staring at the ceiling.  "What I told Tohru last night is true.  Usually, about this time of year I get sick, the doctors say it may be in relation to the change of seasons, some people are like that. I was hoping that being back here it wouldn't happen, I didn’t used to get sick here."

The doorbell rang and Shigure stood up.  "That's probably the doctor."

The doctor came in and examined her while Shigure watched with hooded eyes from the doorway.  The doctor didn't say anything to him, most likely assuming that he was Sakura's husband or something along those lines.  He frowned at her back.  "Where did these scars come from?" the doctor asked.  "They don't look like they were tended very well."

"I used to do a lot of investigative reporting and got into some bad spots," Sakura said.  "Medical care in third-world countries isn't the best."

"I was talking about these whip marks…" the doctor trailed off.

"I thought we were addressing my current illness, not past injuries," Sakura said coolly.

The doctor took the hint and proceeded with the examination.  He gave her a shot and orders to stay in bed for a couple days as well as a medical excuse to give to the school when she returned.  Shigure escorted him out and came back into the room.  "How much did it cost?" Sakura asked.  "I would have paid the doctor myself…"

"The cost doesn't matter," Shigure said.  "Whip marks?"

"It's nothing," Sakura shrugged.  "Things happen."

"What exactly have you been doing over the past ten years?" Shigure frowned.

"Investigative reporting," Sakura responded.  "Some of the most dangerous places in the world things happen."

He obviously wanted to say something else, but Sakura laid back and closed her eyes.  "I'm tired, Shigure. Let's drop it for now, okay?" she said.

"One of these days, Sakura, I'm going to sit you down and make you talk to me," Shigure said quietly.  "You haven't been yourself at all since you came back."

"People change, how do you know this isn't the me now?" Sakura questioned him. "It’s been ten years."

"Change is inevitable, but something else has been bothering you and don't even try and tell me it hasn't," Shigure frowned at her.  "You didn't even tell us good-bye when you went to America."

"I did so!" Sakura protested.

"A note that says ' _Sayonara_ ' is not a proper good bye," Shigure scowled at her.

Sakura sighed.  "I thought we were going to discuss this later."

She turned over and stared at the wall until Shigure left the room.  Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were at school and Tohru would be at work after that.  As much as she hated to do it, Sakura knew she needed to leave the house for now.  She got up and moved slowly across the room, she slid the door open a crack and listened silently, but heard nothing.  Relaxing slightly, she tugged her clothing straight and eased out of the room.  Walking carefully down the steps she made no sound and paused in the hall to hear the clicking of a keyboard from Shigure's office.  She nodded in satisfaction. Grabbing her bag, she slipped her shoes and coat on and eased out the door.

She called a taxi from her cell as she slipped around the other side of the house out of sight of anyone casually looking out the door.  The taxi arrived several minutes later and she climbed inside, shutting the door as Shigure's door opened.  It pulled away and she buried the guilt she felt about leaving without talking to Shigure.

Her cell phone rang and she frowned at it and then recognized the number of a real estate agent she had engaged a few weeks ago and answered it.  "Alexander- _san_ , it's Yoko Imano, you called us a while ago about finding a residence, are you still looking?"

"Yes," she said.

"Perhaps we could set up a meeting, I have a few places that might interest you," the realtor said.

They discussed a date and time and Sakura tugged a pen out of her purse and wrote on her hand.  "That sounds good, I'll see you then.  Thank you for your trouble Imano- _san_."

The taxi arrived at her building and she paid the fare and nearly collapsed on the sidewalk as she climbed out.  Someone caught her arm and kept her from hitting the ground and she glanced up and met Hatori Sohma’s scowling face.  "'Tori- _san_ , what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Shigure informed me of your illness and your stubbornness at leaving his house before you were well," Hatori frowned at her.

"I can't stay in Honda- _san_ 's room!" Sakura exclaimed and began to cough.  "It's just a cold anyway."

He helped her up to her apartment, carefully avoiding any embrace.  The phone rang and Sakura winced at the shrill sound.  It went to the answering machine and the caller left a message.  " _Don't think you won anything yet, I know there's another will around.  My brother wouldn't leave his family out of the will even with marrying a Japanese witch like your mother_..."

Sakura swore and jerked away from Hatori and stumbled across the floor to pick up the phone.  "Don't ever refer to my mother like that!" she snarled into the phone in English.

"So defensive, Sakura," her aunt chided.  "Now, then—"

"There is no other will, Antoinette, none," she growled.  "Leave me the hell alone!"

She slammed the phone into the cradle and began to cough, catching herself on the counter.  "Sakura, you should be in bed," Hatori said quietly.

Her coughing spasm passed and she looked up at him.  "I'm sorry, you didn't need to hear that," she rasped.  "Thanks for the assistance. I'll be fine now."

He regarded her steadily.  "You're far from fine, Sakura," he stated.  "And I am not just referring to your illness."

"It's my problem," she told him, her voice suddenly cold.  "Just like the Sohma curse is yours.  You don't need to get mixed up in my problems, the same as you say I don't need to get caught in yours.  Leave me alone, Hatori."

He looked momentarily startled and then nodded slowly.  "I understand.  Take care of yourself, Sakura."

She watched Hatori leave, forcing herself to remain upright and expressionless.  The door shut with quiet finality and Sakura managed to stumble back into her bedroom before the tears came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ^_^


	9. Holiday Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The holidays are upon us and Megumi is coming to visit and set Sakura's head on straight.

**Basket Eight: Holiday Home**

**_"You look horrible!"_ **

"Good to see you as well, Megumi," Sakura said tiredly as her cousin exited the customs.

Time had passed and autumn had faded into winter, and Sakura was avoiding Tohru and the Sohmas as much as she could.  No doubt, Shigure and Hatori probably hated her right now for shoving them away after all of her assurances.  Guilt still plagued her, but she didn't want to get the Sohmas mixed up in her problems. They already had enough of their own.  The calls from her family in America were coming more frequently despite the fact she'd moved into a house from her apartment.  Recently, they had begun to take on a more threatening sound and Sakura wondered why they were so desperate for money.  Even with Alexander Technologies and all its profits falling into her hand, the Alexanders weren't poor by any stretch of the imagination.

"The truth is the truth, you look like death warmed over," Megumi retorted as they headed to the baggage claim.

Sakura gave her cousin a wry smile and let the comment pass without any further observation.  "I don't know why you decided that you wanted to come for Christmas. You really should have waited until spring.  The cherry blossoms are gorgeous."

"Nothing says I won't be back for spring," Megumi grinned.  "I've only got one project between now and then and I don't anticipate the production going much over a couple months.  It's pretty simplistic in comparison to what I normally do, and most of the graphics are already done."

"Still—"

"Mom and Dad are going to be in Europe and moving around so it wouldn't make much sense to go with them, I'd like to stay in one place for a little while," Megumi shrugged.  "Besides, this will be the first holiday without your parents and this is a family time of year."

"Yeah, family..."

Bitterness tinged Sakura's voice and her cousin regarded her sharply.  "Are they _still_ calling?" she exclaimed.

Sakura ran her hand through her brown hair mussing it more and gave her cousin a wry smile.  "Changing residences and numbers didn’t help so I’m just dealing with it for now," Sakura shrugged.  "We're here.  Which flight were you on again?"

**_Megumi gave_** her cousin an assessing look and silently let the subject drop for now.  Sakura really did look bad though.  Her thin frame was even thinner than it should be and dark shadows ringed her eyes.  The violet eyes that they both shared that used to be so full of life were full of nothing. It was like everything had been sucked out of her leaving an empty shell that still moved around and lived a semblance of life.  Frowning, Megumi watched as Sakura made her way through the crowded baggage claim to the proper carousel without waiting for her response. 

Something was seriously wrong.

They collected her luggage without incident and Megumi followed her cousin to the parking garage.  They reached a silver vehicle that Megumi easily identified as Sakura's car because of the seahorse hanging from the rearview mirror.  The silence filled the car as they made their way out of the airport and towards Sakura's residence.  Part of Megumi's excuse for coming out so much before Christmas was to help Sakura get her house in order since Sakura herself had to attend to school matters.

A shiver traced down Megumi’s spine as they stepped into the house and her eyes skimmed the interior—it was so empty.  Ever since she could remember, Sakura's houses were always bright, cheerful, and full of windows.  The windows did exist, but everything else was dull and quiet.  Their footsteps on the bare floor echoed in the silence.  Nothing decorated the walls or shelves despite the boxes piled against the wall.  It didn't even feel like Sakura lived there.  It almost seemed like Sakura was a ghost merely existing within the walls. That worried Megumi perhaps even more than the slightly older woman's physical condition.  "Sakura?"

Megumi shuddered as her voice bounced off the walls and Sakura turned to look at her.  "What?" she asked.

She shook her head.  "Never mind."

Shrugging, Sakura led her up the stairs.  "This room is the guestroom, I set it up with you in mind, I hope it works for you," she said pointing at the door.  "If you need anything let me know, I'll be in my study downstairs and to the left just as you come in the front door.  Toilet's downstairs and to the right.  The linen closet is next to the bath, which is pretty close to the toilet.  Feel free to do whatever you like.  I have to go finish my lesson plans."

"Sakura, you're practically arctic. I feel like I'm about to get frost bite just by talking to you," Megumi scowled at her.

Sakura's lips formed into a mockery of a smile that didn't even come close to reaching her eyes.  "I'm just tired, Megumi.  I'm sorry?"

She vanished down the hall and Megumi shook her head.  Something was definitely wrong.  Silently, she set her luggage down and frowned.  This room was warm, everything had been decorated with a careful hand, the blend of sea green and pastel purple gave it a very peaceful feeling.  Megumi settled on the bed and looked thoughtfully at the computer sitting on the desk.  As always, Sakura had thought of everything.

The following day, Megumi started moving the boxes in Sakura's house to more appropriate places after checking the careful labels Sakura had placed on all of them. The first thing she planned on doing was make the house feel a little less empty, and that meant putting stuff on the shelves.  Sakura gave Megumi full permission to do whatever she wanted with the house as she probably wouldn't have time to go through and set it up until much later.  She finished the entry hall when the doorbell rang and Megumi frowned, Sakura wasn't expecting anyone today.

She answered the door and stared in startlement at the visitor.  "Is this the home of Sakura Alexander?" the man asked casually.

He was taller than she was with longish brown hair and an amused gray gaze.  "Yes, it is, but she's not here right now..." Megumi began.

"Well, at least I've located the place. I assume you are Megumi- _san_ , the cousin that Kura- _chan_ talks incessantly about?" he queried.

"That would be me," Megumi agreed, "and you are?"

"Ah forgive me for not introducing myself sooner," he said expansively and bowed.  "I am Shigure Sohma, an old school friend of Sakura's."

"Ah, one of the mysterious Sohmas whom I've only heard vague stories about," Megumi murmured, matching his tone.

He nodded.  "I supposed I shall have to come back later and hope that Kura- _chan_ doesn't slam the door in my face like she slams the phone in my ear," he said with a sigh.

"Wait," Megumi said and he gave her an inquiring look.

"You're a good friend of Sakura's right?" she asked.

"That is what I just said," he responded.

"No, you just said that you were an old school friend of hers, not that you were still a good friend," Megumi corrected with a slight smile.

"Yes, I am still a good friend, or I rather hope so anyway," Shigure answered.  "I'm not exactly sure where I stand right now to be truthful."

"Come in," Megumi invited.  "We can have some tea and talk for a bit.  I have some concerns about Sakura that you may help alleviate or we can figure out a way to help each other..."

“Please forgive me for bothering you,” Shigure said.

Megumi grinned.  “No bother at all.”

**_"Sakura!"_ **

Sakura jumped at the voice that echoed from several feet away and turned to see a familiar white-haired figure prancing towards her.  "Ayame, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked in surprise.  "Yuki's already gone home a long time ago."

"I didn't come to see Yuki," Ayame declared. "It has been far too long since I’ve heard from you and we simply must go out or I shall wither away and die with the lack of Kura- _chan’s_ sunshine."

He grabbed her arm, and Sakura shook her head as she was carried away in the overwhelming current of Ayame's energy.  They wound up at his favorite restaurant and ordering potsticker plates, and Sakura smiled wryly to herself. She never could fight her way out of Ayame's traps.  Ayame began to regale her with stories of some of the clientele at his store, and Sakura found herself giggling.

"Ah, a smile suits you far better than that seriousness you've been displaying lately," Ayame said and lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper.  "Certain individuals have been very concerned about you."

Sakura sobered and stared down into her tea.  "They're my problems, Ayame," she said in a low voice.

"And I am sure you'll handle them splendidly.  However, you needn't lock us out while you deal with them," Ayame scowled at her. "Our lives are bleak and lonely without our flower to brighten them up, even now."

Sakura was quiet and Ayame gestured for the check.  "Now then, I must admit I did have ulterior motives in bringing you here for dinner."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Sakura questioned with a slight smile.

"I fear I am at a loss at what to give the lovely Tohru for a Christmas gift," Ayame admitted heavily, "but I do feel a need to get her something very nice for she has brought so much color into the life of my dearest brother.  I should get him a gift as well, but he may not appreciate it as much."

Sakura suddenly looked thoughtful.  "I seem to remember an absolutely lovely dress in Tohru's closet, a very nice one that could be no one's work but yours..."

"Ah, yes, I did give her one a while ago when she and Yuki came to visit my shop," Ayame said thoughtfully.

"I know a perfect gift for you to give Yuki," Sakura grinned and gestured him down and whispered in his ear.

Ayame grinned.  "Absolutely splendid idea, Sakura!  Now about Tohru..."

Sakura looked considering.  "Have you anything else to do today?" he questioned.

"Not particularly," she admitted.

"Then you shall come, we must shop!" he declared.

**_They arrived_** at Sakura's house much later in the evening and she gaped at the changes.  Lights were up all over the place and through the window she could see an undecorated Christmas tree.  She turned a startled look on Ayame and saw the smile on his face.  "You..."

Words failed her and a quick look up and down the street showed it was abandoned and for lack of anything to express herself she dropped her bags and flung her arms around him and gave him a tight hug.

*POOF*

She grinned down at the white snake.  "I should have known there was something more to it than shopping for Tohru!"

A shiver passed through the snake and Sakura chuckled.  She picked him and he quickly slithered into her shirt.  "You're such a baby, Ayame. It's not _that_ cold out here," she said.

"You're not afflicted with cold blood either, but I find this quite comfortable," Ayame said smugly.

Sakura shook her head and gathered his clothing from the street, stuffing it in her bags before climbing up the steps to the house.  The door opened before she was even there and Megumi was silhouetted in the doorway.  Ayame ducked into her shirt and she smiled at her cousin.  "Decorating behind my back I see," she said.

"You did tell me I could do whatever I want and _you_ weren’t decorating," Megumi scowled at her.

Sakura laughed.  "I suppose you're right."

"Where is Ayame?" Megumi asked.  "Shigure- _san_ has been telling me all about him."

"He'll be along in a bit, he got a bit sidetracked," Sakura said.  "Let me go put these things up in my room and I'll be down in just a few minutes.  You're still not allowed to see your gift before Christmas."

Sakura breezed past the door, up the stairs, and into her room and stopped in shock—Megumi had been busy.  She shut the door and looked around the room and couldn't help, but smile, Megumi had set it up exactly the way she used to set up her room down to the placement of the last little knick-knack.  "So this is what Sakura's room looks like," Ayame observed lifting his head over the opening in her shirt.

Sakura chuckled.  "That's right; you guys were never able to really visit me before.  You better get out though and warm up.  Hopefully your clothes aren't too cold from falling on the ground out there.  I forgot Megumi was here."

"They should be fine. I'll make my entrance shortly," Ayame said grandly, slithering out of her shirt and onto the bed.

"All right," Sakura chuckled and put his clothes on the bed.  "See you in a bit."

She set her stuff down and secured the Christmas presents in a hiding spot and walked down the stairs.  Faint echoes of Christmas music came from the main living room and she could hear talking and laughing from inside.  Scents of warm apple cider and some of Megumi's famous cookies came from the kitchen and she wandered in and was surprised to see Tohru lingering over steaming pots on the stove.  "Pardon my forwardness in cooking in your kitchen without permission, Sakura- _san._ I wanted to make you something good for dinner and the others were saying they were hungry."

"No worries, do you need any help?" Sakura questioned.

Tohru shook her head.  "Thank you for the offer, but it's nearly done.  Is Ayame- _san_ all right?"

Sakura grinned.  "He got a little cold and I had to hide him from Megumi."

Realization dawned on Tohru.  "Is he—" she began.

"He's up in my room. He'll be down shortly," Sakura smiled.

She snagged a cookie from one of the cooling racks and entered the living room and looked around it in awe.  "It's amazing, Megumi!" she exclaimed.

"Glad you like it, Shigure- _san_ and Tohru- _san_ have been helping quite a bit," Megumi told her. “Oh and that card for house expenses you left me.  I think it’s about maxed.”

Sakura blinked and then collapsed into helpless giggles.  “You would.”

“Yes I did,” Megumi smirked.

Sakura wiped away the tears of laughter and turned.  Shigure was lounging in one of the chairs and he gave her a grin.  "I wasn't going to let you shut us out forever, Kura- _chan_ ," he grinned, "and your cousin was more than willing to help me."

"I imagine so," Sakura said, turning a wry look on her cousin.

“Well, you weren’t giving us a whole lot of options, Sakura,” Megumi said pursing her lips in displeasure.

Sakura’s response was cut off by the doorbell and she frowned.  "Are you expecting someone else?" she asked.

Shigure looked mysterious and she stuck her tongue out at him and then went to go answer the door.  She opened the door and a greeting died on her lips.  "Merry Christmas, Sakura," Hatori Sohma said seriously and handed her a bottle of sparkling apple cider.

"Merry Christmas, Tori-san," Sakura finally managed.  "Please come in.  Tohru's making some food..."

Hatori entered and behind him were Kyo and Yuki.  Sakura couldn't help but be surprised that the two had come.  "They do not stray far from Tohru when given the opportunity," Hatori said quietly for her ears only—there was a slight almost smile on is lips.

Sakura smiled.  "Please, come in."

She moved aside and Tohru came out of the kitchen as if she had sensed the boys' arrival.  "I'm so happy you could make it!  I'm sure Sakura- _san_ is too."

"Just to warn you, Ayame's here as well," Sakura told them.

Both paused in the process of putting their jackets on the coat rack and Sakura could almost see them planning to bolt.  "Oh please stay!" Tohru exclaimed looking at them earnestly.  "It's Christmas..."

Sakura stifled a laugh as both boys put their coats on the rack immediately and assured her that they'd stay.  "Everyone's in the living room. Dinner's almost ready. I'll be right there."

"Hey, it's snowing outside!"

Sakura heard Megumi's exclamation from the living room and raced into the living room to glance out the window.  Sure enough, snowflakes were beginning to drift down and she smiled.  "It's been a while since I had a white Christmas," she said happily.

"Ah, it warms my heart to see our family together this lovely holiday!" Ayame proclaimed from the doorway.  "Come, Yuki, we must take advantage of this warm and happy time and become—"

"Ayame," Hatori said sternly and the white-haired man stopped immediately and moved on to more conversation.

"Ah, you must be the lovely Megumi we have heard our flower speak so much of!" he said extravagantly and grasped her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.  "It is an honor to finally meet you."

Megumi grinned at Sakura over Ayame's hand.  "I like this one!"

"I figured you would," Sakura laughed.

Tohru entered the living room, wiping her hands on her apron.  "Dinner's ready," she announced.

"After dinner, we have to decorate the tree, Sakura!" Megumi said enthusiastically.

"I don't know if I have—" Sakura began. 

"Oh you have decorations," Megumi grinned.  "Tohru brought over a set of really cute ornaments too."

"Oh?" Sakura looked curious.  "I want to—"

"Not until after dinner," Shigure said.  "You must eat!"

Sakura looked over at Hatori who was watching everything with veiled green eyes.  "Go on ahead," she told them and walked up to him.

After everyone left, Sakura spoke awkwardly.  "I'm sorry about the other day..." she began.

"Don't think anything of it," Hatori assured her, "you were sick and very upset, I understand."

"You guys are still my best friends," she said quietly.

Something that could have been a smile flickered across Hatori's face.  "I hope that it remains so," he said.  "Come, Tohru's food will get cold."

Sakura trailed him out of the living room and into the dining room where everyone had already crowded around the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a note, I finally (mostly) finished the Fruits Basket manga this week (yes all 23 English volumes) and, I will be truthful, I was kinda...disappointed (not sure if that's the word I want, but I can't think of anything lighter)...in it, but I did enjoy watching the characters 'grow up' in the drawings, that was pretty neat--especially Momiji >.>
> 
> However, that is not going to change anything that happens in this story--though I may write a sequel to this one depending on how I feel later--I need to get back to my original stuff starting June 1st so not as much time to write fan fic (don't worry this one will still update on time).
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, it makes me incredibly happy ^_^


	10. New Year, New Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the New Year and time to put old things behind. 
> 
> Sakura has a late Christmas gift for Tohru.

** Basket Nine: New Year, New Start **

**_"Sakura!"_ **

Sakura looked away from the wall she was painting to where Megumi was standing impatiently in the doorway.  "What?" she queried.

"We're supposed to be at Shigure- _san_ 's house in half an hour! What are you still doing painting?" her cousin demanded.

Frowning, Sakura turned her eyes onto the clock and they went wide.  "I didn't realize it was that late!  Let me finish this last part.  It's all that's left to finish up the house.  It shouldn't take me too long to get dressed and go."

Quickly, she finished the last bit of painting on the wall and jumped off the top of the ladder, landing lightly on her feet.  Megumi shook her head and Sakura brushed by her on the way to her room.  Megumi caught her wrist and Sakura looked at her in question.  "Are you really all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Sakura assured her.

Megumi regarded her intently for a moment.  "If you're sure.  I heard the call last night."

Sakura shrugged.  "Don't worry about it, they're blowing hot air, and even if they were to try something, I don't think it would accomplish what they wanted."

Megumi released her arm and Sakura went up to her room and quickly changed clothes.  She met her cousin downstairs and they both climbed into her car and headed to Shigure's house, arriving just barely on time.  They parked and went to the door and knocked and Tohru opened the door for them.  "Come in," she said happily.

The two women entered and took their shoes off and noted that the Sohmas were dressed much more nicely than normal.  "Ah, Kura-chan, Megumi-san, I am glad you could make it," Shigure said expansively.  "Happy New Year!"

"It's not the New Year yet," Megumi reminded him.

"Shigure-san, Kyo-kun, and Yuki-kun are going to the Sohma House for the New Year, Alexander-san," Tohru informed her.  "It is their tradition."

"Not that tradition can't be broken from time to time," Shigure murmured.  "I seem to recall last year—"

"No, you _have_ to go this year," Tohru said to them urgently.  "It's your family tradition.  Sakura-san and Alexander-san will be here this year for me so you don't have to worry."

"I wasn't worried," Kyo snorted and received a skeptical look from both Yuki and Shigure.

"Kura-chan, Megumi-san, would you join me in my office for a drink?" Shigure inquired.

"I'll pass," Sakura smiled, "I'll go help Tohru in the kitchen."

"No thank you," Megumi said.  "I appreciate the offer though."

Sakura went into the kitchen and Tohru turned around and jumped when she realized that she was there.  "Sakura-san!" she exclaimed.  "You startled me."

"Let me help you out," Sakura said, "it looks like you've been busy most of the day."

Tohru hesitated.  "I insist," Sakura said firmly and the younger girl gave in.

They worked together and got the New Year's meal finished.  "Thank you for your help, Sakura-san," Tohru said warmly.

"It was my pleasure," she smiled.

The meal passed with happy chatter, but as the time grew closer for the Sohmas to leave Kyo and Yuki seemed to become more and more solemn.  Sakura could tell that they were only seconds away from declaring that they would not be attending the New Year's event at the Sohmas. "Well, it is time to go," Shigure said later.  "Kyo, Yuki?"

"Don't worry about Tohru," Sakura told the young men quietly.  "We'll take care of her."

The boys got up heavily and reluctantly put on their coats before leaving the house. Sakura, Megumi, and Tohru followed them to the door.  "Be safe!" Tohru called to them.

As soon as they vanished down the road, Tohru turned to the two cousins.  "I'll go make some tea," she announced and vanished inside.

Sakura watched Tohru duck inside and glanced over at her cousin. "My bet is they'll be back before the first sunrise," Sakura observed to Megumi.

Megumi looked at her in startlement and Sakura chuckled.  "Kyo and Yuki are devoted to Tohru," she said in English.  "They'll return to her to greet the New Year I think, even if they have to sneak out of the Sohma family gathering to do so."

"You have a look in your eyes I don't trust, Sakura," Megumi frowned, speaking to her in the same language.

"You'll see," Sakura said, switching back to Japanese and turning to go inside.

Tohru had set the tea up on the table and Sakura went and picked up the bag that she'd brought with her. "Tohru-kun," she said.

Tohru glanced up and Sakura wordlessly presented the bag to her.  "It's a very late Christmas gift, but I would appreciate it if you would accept it."

"Oh...I couldn't!" Tohru said.  "I've already gotten so much..."

"I insist," Sakura said.  "I made it myself and it would be saddening if all my hard work went to waste."

Tohru immediately accepted the gift.  "Of course, Sakura-san," she said and set it down on the table and opened it.

Pale green silk embroidered with flowers spilled out and Tohru's eyes went wide.  "Sakura-san..." she began.

"I noticed you didn't have any nice kimonos earlier and every Japanese girl should have at least one," Sakura said, "and I wanted to give you something Shi-chan hadn't managed to give you."

"I already get so much and your help with my English—" Tohru began.

Sakura shook her head.  "Try it on, I think I have the measurements right, I got them from Ayame."

Tohru went into the other room and a few minutes later poked her head out the door.  "Sakura-san, I've never worn a kimono before, could you help me?" she asked uncertainly.

"It would be my pleasure," Sakura smiled.  "I'll be right back, Megumi."

A few minutes later, Tohru emerged dressed in the kimono, which did fit perfectly.  "It's absolutely gorgeous!" Megumi exclaimed and frowned slightly.  "It needs just a couple touches."

Megumi went over to her purse and dipped her hands inside coming out with a pair of beautifully crafted hair ornaments.  Tohru looked stunned as Megumi settled on one of the cushions away from the table and gestured for her to come over.  "Megumi likes doing people's hair," Sakura explained to her.

Tohru carefully settled in front of Megumi and the other woman went to work and when she was done, Sakura nodded. "Perfect!" she exclaimed.  "You look very beautiful."

Tohru looked very uncertain and Sakura chuckled.  "My mother gave me my first kimono when I was sixteen, she worked on it for weeks making sure everything was just right—I think it was one of the longest times that she and my father were ever home at a time," Sakura smiled.  "I felt that you needed a kimono made with similar care, you never know when it may be useful."

"Thank you," Tohru breathed.

Sakura smiled.  "Now shall we celebrate the coming of the New Year?"

**_It was_** nearing dawn when the sound of footsteps outside the door echoed and Sakura chuckled to herself.  The door slid aside and Kyo and Yuki both tumbled in, looking flushed and out of breath.  "Kyo-kun?  Yuki-kun?  Why are you here?" Tohru asked, looking at them with wide eyes.

Both boys froze in place as Tohru stood to greet them and Sakura directed a smirk in Megumi's direction and the other woman's eyes went wide as she realized that Sakura had engineered it.  "Are you okay?" Tohru frowned approaching them, her kimono swishing softly with her movement.

She placed a hand on Yuki's head.  "Is you asthma acting up?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine, Honda-san," he said, his voice somewhat less smooth than usual.

"Where'd you get that?" Kyo demanded.

Tohru looked surprised, her hand going to the kimono.  "Sakura-san gave it to me and Alexander-san fixed my hair.  Does it look bad?"

"No, Honda-san," Yuki quickly assured her, glaring at Kyo over her head.  "You look very beautiful."

Kyo mumbled something beneath his breath that Sakura didn't catch and she chuckled softly to herself.  "I told you that we wouldn't be making too many soba noodles, Tohru," she grinned.  "I'll go get them.  The sunrise should be in just about an hour."

Tohru was nervous about going on the roof in her new kimono but Sakura had reassured her about it and so they sat on the roof as the horizon lightened.  She and Megumi had taken a position a bit away from the younger people and were staring at the horizon.  "I didn't realize how much I missed doing this," Megumi murmured quietly to her.  "It's going to be a whole new year, Sakura. It means a fresh start."

Sakura smiled at her cousin.  "I suppose so," she agreed.  "What's your wish for the new year, Megumi?"

"I'll never tell," she grinned.  "Remember, if you tell a person what you wish for then it won't come true."

Sakura laughed.  "That is the belief," she said.  "Although it won't do too much harm for me to say that I hope that this year is a bit better than last."

**_On January_** 4, Sakura saw Megumi off at the airport.  "Take care of yourself, Sakura, I don't want to come back to see you in the same shape you were in when I got here."

Sakura chuckled.  "I'll be good," she assured her.

Megumi tilted her head and regarded her cousin steadily, the past month and a half had seen remarkable improvements and, except for an unusual shadow behind Sakura's sparking violet eyes, for all intents and purposes Sakura looked exactly like the cousin that Megumi knew.  "You better stay that way," she said, "or I'll come and stay with you until you find someone to take care of you—or better yet I'll talk to Sohma-san."

"You wouldn't!" Sakura said a horrified look in her eyes.

"We'll see," Megumi said.  "Take care!"

"Be safe, Megumi," Sakura said and waved at her.

**_Sakura wandered_** around the city for a while after Megumi left and then decided to head home.  The scream of sirens echoed and her eyes landed on a fire truck racing through the roads and she frowned.  Her eyes drifted up and she saw a pillar of smoke rising from her neighborhood and froze.  She made her way as quickly as she could to her street and found it blocked off as firemen tended to a blaze...right where her home was standing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading (and, honestly, I just liked the idea of the boys running back home to Tohru...how they escaped the mansion...who knows...there may have been a rabbit involved +polishes Momiji's halo+)


	11. Ashes to Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the flames, Sakura needs to deal with a few other things. Like arguing (and losing) with her best friends about where she needs to stay to remain safe.

**Basket Ten:  Ashes to Ashes**

  ** _"Miss Alexander,_** are you...okay?"

Sakura glanced up at the detective, surprised by the heavily accented English that he spoke.  "I speak Japanese," she said in his native language.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and, if she wasn't in her current state she probably would have chuckled at his reaction—very politely, of course.  He handed her a Styrofoam cup of coffee and she took two sips of the very bitter brew before answering his question.  "I'm fine," she told him, "or at least as much as the circumstances allow.  I was taking my cousin to the airport when the fire broke out."

"I have good news and I have bad news for you," he said.  "Your house is salvageable, many things will be stained with smoke and need replacing, but the structural damage was contained to the study and the rooms in the immediate vicinity, the firefighters were able to put the flames out before it was irreparable."

"That's good to know," Sakura said.

"The bad news is that the fire was not an accident," he stated.  "We found signs of gasoline at the source of the fire, but none of your neighbors saw anything."

There was a small ruckus at the front of the station and Sakura recognized Shigure's voice with some startlement and glanced up to see him forcing his way through the officers (carefully avoiding the female officers) until she was in his view.  "Kura-chan, are you all right?" he demanded.

This time she couldn't help but chuckle.  "I'm fine," she assured him. "Officer Ichiro was telling me about what happened.  I wasn't at home when the fire broke out, I had to take Megumi to the airport."

"Sir, can you please wait outside for her?  They are discussing confidential case matters," one of the officers requested.

Shigure hesitated but Sakura shooed him away.  "I'll be fine. I'll meet you outside in a little bit."

He left and Sakura gave the officer an apologetic look.  "Sohma-san has been my friend for many years, he was concerned I think," she said.

He nodded.  "What were you doing this afternoon?" he questioned.

"I took my cousin to the airport to return to her job and did some shopping," she said and tugged out various receipts and a copy of Megumi's itinerary and handed it to him.  "I wouldn't have set fire to my own house, I paid for it up front and just finished fixing it just the way I like it. It would be foolish to do turn around and destroy it."

He gave her an apologetic look.  "I understand that, Alexander-san, but we must look at all possibilities.  These should provide sufficient evidence that you were not at fault for the fire.  The gasoline was fresh as if someone had just laid it and since you have not been at home since early this morning, you will be taken off the list of suspects.  Unfortunately, you were the only one on there.  Is there anyone who would like to see you harmed?"

Sakura considered her answer carefully.  "Most likely anyone in my family that remains in the US with the exception of Aunt Hikaru, Uncle Jared, and Megumi, the cousin I just dropped off at the airport," she finally admitted. "My parents recently died and there are some disputes over their will, but I don't know that they would hate me enough to do something like this.  Whether or not they dislike me, they're still family."

_Of course, when it comes to the money I probably wouldn't put it past them,_ Sakura thought to herself.

"Even if they wind up as empty clues, if you could provide their names, it would be greatly appreciated," he said quietly.

Sakura was reluctant, if only because they were her family. However, given that someone else could have been in the house or it could have spread to the neighboring houses, she decided that it was better safe than sorry.  She produced her address book and handed it to him.  "All of their names and addresses are in there.  I believe most of them are be up-to-date."

"Thank you, I will go make a copy of this and return it to you," he said.

Silently, Sakura nodded and bent her attention back to the bitter tasting coffee he had given her, it was starting to cool but it was better than nothing.  He returned a few minutes later with the copies and some reports to sign and she did so.

Finally, after almost two and a half hours, Sakura exited the station and came to a complete stop at the end of the stairs when she realized Shigure was sitting on the bench waiting for her.  Behind him Hatori was leaning against a light pole sipping a hot drink.  Both men glanced up as she approached.  "Isn't it unwise for you to be out here in weather like this?" she asked them.

"When Shigure heard about the fire, he called me and we both drove up here to make sure you were all right," Hatori said.  "Ayame most likely would have come if he wasn't in the middle of a very important meeting.  Are you all right, Sakura?"

She nodded.  "I'm fine, but my house isn't.  It's probably going to take a few months to be repaired.  Looks like I'll be staying in the apartments again."

She sighed.  They both regarded her steadily and she met their eyes.  "What?" she questioned.  "You're looking at me like I've gone insane or something."

"Why don't you come stay with me for a little while," Shigure stated quietly.  "A few months with an extra person won't hurt anything."

"Shigure's house and even the Sohma house is well off the beaten path, if anyone unusual were to appear it would be noted before anything else could happen," Hatori added.

She looked surprised at their comments.  "We are not without our own connections in the police department. How do you think we knew to come here rather than go to the hospital?" Hatori questioned.  "Shigure and I have both heard hints of those phone calls you've been receiving, and they did confirm that it was arson."

"Don't worry about me that much," Sakura reassured them.  "It was probably a random act of violence—nothing in direct relation to any of that.  My family isn't fond of me, but I don't think they'd wish me dead."

_Of course, this is money...but I really don't think any of them have the guts to do something this straightforward._

"I'll get an apartment in one of the secured buildings," she began and Shigure stood up.

He approached her and peered down into her face intently before tapping her nose.  "Sa~ku~ra-chan," he said her name in an almost singsong fashion before taking a more serious tone.  "You will stay with me."

Sakura was about to protest and he shook his head, and Sakura had a feeling she was about to encounter the dogged stubbornness Shigure rarely showed.  "Hatori, Ayame, and I are very concerned about you.  You are our first and perhaps best friend—the first person who accepted us as we are with no real reason to do so.  We do not wish to see you come to harm.  Now, you can come with us peaceably, or we will tie you up here and now and take you with us."

"In the middle of a crowded street, in front of a police station?" she asked skeptically.

"Whatever it takes," Shigure confirmed.

Sakura cast a glance at Hatori and from the look in his eyes she realized that she wasn't going to find an ally in the doctor this time.  "They're recovering the things that can be saved from my house right now. I'll have to be here to claim them in the morning..."

"I can drive you into town if necessary," Hatori said quietly.  "As it stands, we would all feel better about it if you stayed with Shigure."

Sakura sighed, she knew when she was defeated.  "I'll have to get some clothing and such, school is starting again tomorrow.  I've already called the administrators and they have some new materials for me, so I'll have to pick that up as well.  I'll meet you at Ayame's favorite food shop in about three hours..."

"We'll take you," Shigure said, volunteering himself and the doctor.

"As you wish."

**_"She's what?"_ **

Kyo's exclamation was to be expected, but Shigure took it in stride.  "Sakura will be staying here for a few months while her house is rebuilt," he said.  "It doesn't make sense for her to have to pay for lodging in addition to the expenses incurred by the repairs to her house when we have a perfectly available guest room upstairs."

"Believe me, I already tried to talk him out of it," Sakura said wryly, from her position in the doorway, "but he's insistent and when he gets stubborn there's no real way around it."

"I am very glad you're all right, Sakura-san," Tohru said earnestly.

"It does make sense," Yuki admitted reluctantly.  "It's not like she'll be here for a long time and she already knows about the Sohma curse."

Sakura's cell phone rang after his declaration and she gave an apologetic smile to her new housemates before ducking out of the house to take the call.  " _Moshi, moshi?_ "

"Sakura, are you all right?" Megumi exclaimed.

Sakura winced slightly at her panicked question and sighed inwardly, she really was tired of answering the same question over and over.  Silently, she moved away from the house into the surrounding woods, in hopes that the others wouldn't overhear her conversation—she didn't need them to be any more concerned than they already were.  "I'm fine, Megumi, the fire started while I was still out from taking you to the airport.  The house is salvageable, although I'm going to have to replace a lot of furniture and such.  From what I understand, my bedroom was practically untouched oddly enough, but it looks like the safe in the study was broken into."

"Do you have any idea who may have done it? They said it was arson," Megumi frowned.

"I can't think of anyone except them, but I don't think they would have the nerve to do something like that," Sakura sighed.  "I still think it was a random act of violence."

"But the safe..." Megumi began.

"The source of the fire was right near the safe," Sakura acknowledged. "I'm thinking whoever it was broke into it and got angry that there was nothing there, so set fire to the house in a fit of rage."

"The Japanese detective on the case doesn't think so lightly of it," Megumi said.  "He called Mom, Dad, and me to ask questions."

Sakura sighed.  "Well I suppose it wasn't going to be avoided," she said soberly.  "I did give him my address book to look at. I still think it's an empty lead though."

"Mom and Dad are concerned about you," Megumi informed her.  "They're worried enough that they put a word in with Commissioner Jackson and he set some of his detectives on it."

"Mr. Jack's the commissioner now?"

Megumi nodded.  "He was concerned to when he heard about it.  There's been a series of break-ins at the main headquarters, but they can't seem to figure out anything that is missing.  There is something not right going on."

"I suppose there will eventually be answers one way or another," Sakura stated.  "I do feel really bad though."

"Why?" Megumi asked.

"All your hard work on the house was just all put to waste," she said.

"I'll be back to help you put it back in order once it's repaired," Megumi said.  "I'm just glad you're all right."

The conversation continued for a while longer and Sakura found a tree some distance away from the house to lean against as they talked.  After Megumi hung up, she settled down on the ground and leaned her head against the sturdy trunk of the tree behind her, closing her eyes.

"I hear there was an incident at your home this evening. You have my condolences," a silky voice purred.

Sakura stiffened, she knew that dark, sinister voice anywhere and when she turned her head to see the black-clad Sohma head she wasn't surprised.  "You shouldn't say things you don't mean," she said to him in a neutral tone.

Akito snickered at her words and came to rest on the tree root that stuck up a few feet away from Sakura's position.  "It always seems to be here," he observed, "I spoke to that girl here too, the night she saw Kyo's true form.  You know of the curse, Alexander-san, but do you know the true nature of it?"

"I never claimed to know anything about the curse," Sakura stated quietly.

"It's a pity really," Akito murmured, looking up at the star-filled sky.

"A pity that you didn't think of it first?" Sakura asked coolly.

He gave her a look and then smirked.  "What makes you think _I_ didn't?  A foreign woman pressing charges against the Sohmas—it would never see the light of day.  You don't belong here."

Sakura gave him a twisted smile.  "I belong anywhere I choose, Sohma-san," she said calmly.  "And I know it wasn't you who set fire to my house."

"Oh?" he asked her.

Sakura stood up and brushed the dirt and leaves off of her clothing.  "Because if it was you, you would have made sure I was in the house and couldn't leave when it was set to burning.  Too bad, the same trick doesn't work twice, _ne_ , Sohma-san?"

For once, the Sohma head was reduced to speechlessness, and Sakura began to walk away.  "Good night, Sohma-san, sleep well—or as well as you can under current circumstances.

She could hear the smirk in Akito’s voice when he finally found his voice.  “I am not sure what you’re implying, Sakura-san.  The Sohmas would never be involved in something so low.  Especially for someone so… _worthless_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ^_^
> 
> I appreciate the kudos and comments and I hope you continue to enjoy the story ^_^


	12. Chocolate Hearts & Unspoken Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day comes and Ayame insists that Sakura needs to go shopping or be doomed to be an 'old maid' forever

**Basket Eleven: Chocolate Hearts and Unspoken Wishes**

**_School was_** back in session, and with the exception of where she went when she went home at night, Sakura found that life continued on as it always did.  Although, she noted to herself as she dipped her chopsticks into the homemade _bento_ , she was eating a lot better at Shigure's than she had been at her own house—Tohru really was a fabulous cook.  Today was February 14, a month and ten days since the fire that struck her house and her conversation with Akito. As she had suspected, both the Japanese police and the American investigation into the Stateside Alexanders hadn’t come up with anything yet. She had a feeling it would likely continue that way.  Finishing her food, she tugged a book out to spend the remainder of lunch on, but before she could open it there was a knock on the door.

She glanced up and saw Tohru standing there, holding a small package in her hands.  "Come in," Sakura invited her.

The younger girl entered and looked at the lunch.  "Was the food all right?" she asked anxiously.

A smile tugged at Sakura's lips, Tohru asked that every time.  "It was delicious," she responded.

Tohru relaxed and handed her the package.  "It's for Valentine's Day," she explained unnecessarily.

Accepting the package, the teacher smiled at her.  "Thank you," she said simply.  "It was really fun making these with you last night. I don't think I've ever actually _made_ chocolate for Valentine's Day, it was always store-bought."

"Well, it's a little cheaper to make it," Tohru confessed, a slight flush darkening her cheeks.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, homemade tastes better than store-bought chocolates any day, unless the store that made them is very good," she said.

Tohru smiled at her compliment.  "What are you reading?"

" ** _A Little Princess_** , it's a book that I loved when I was younger.  I revisit it every so often, even now it still holds a bit of the enchantment it did when I first started reading it," Sakura replied.

"What's it about?" Tohru asked curiously.

"It is about a girl whose father was very rich and she was sent to an exclusive private school and for a time she was the 'princess' of the school and everyone fawned over her because her father was so wealthy.  Then something happened to her father and they lost all of the money.  Everyone in the school turned against her and she became a servant in the place that was once her castle.  However, despite all that happened, she managed to retain her cheerfulness and eventually things started looking up.  A lot more happens, but I don't want to give the story away too much."

Tohru looked disappointed and Sakura chuckled.  "I'll let you read it after I'm done.  It may help your English as well."

"I'm looking forward to it," Tohru said earnestly.

Tohru left and Sakura went back to the book, but couldn't concentrate on it.  She glanced down at her bag and saw a brightly colored ribbon sticking out and looked away quickly.  The ribbon was attached to some chocolate that she made after Tohru went to bed.  It had Hatori's name on it, but she didn't know if she would have the courage to give it to him.  She'd made smaller packages of chocolate with Tohru for Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori, following the younger girl's example of making chocolates for everyone and already gave the boxes to Hatori and Shigure.

The rest of the day flew by and when the final bell rang she collected her things and, after making sure everything was in order for the next day, left.  She went to her car and drove through the streets with Ayame's chocolate sitting on the seat next to her. She arrived at his shop and saw Mine outside getting ready to lock the doors.  The other woman glanced up at her and suddenly smiled.  "Alexander- _san_ , welcome.  We're closing up, but he's inside finishing the last little bit of something or another.  Come in."

Sakura passed into Ayame's boutique and headed towards the back.  Ayame was concentrating intently on a white dress of some sort and glanced up as Mine entered.  "Can you get me—" he began and spotted Sakura.  "Sakura, darling, how nice of you to come! Are those for me?"

Sakura chuckled and handed him the chocolates.  "Tohru helped me make them and I already gave some to Hatori and Shigure."

"Ah, Tohru-kun's amazing chocolates, I have heard the legend of these! Shigure told me so much about them yet I have never had the honor of partaking of them," he said expansively.

Sakura chuckled.  "Well, now you will, Tohru gave me some to bring to you and Mine as well."

She handed them the boxes of chocolate for them as well and smiled.  "That's a very pretty dress," she observed.

"It is a gift for Tohru- _kun_ , do you like it?" Ayame asked intently.

Sakura was quiet as she looked it over and then smiled.  "It's absolutely gorgeous, but I wouldn't expect anything less from your hands."

"Naturally, my flare for style will never be matched by any other designer, ever," he said.  "Mine I do need some of that lace that we got in the shipment yesterday, if you please and that thread..."

"Of course!" she said and bounced off.

Ayame's eyes turned back to her and he frowned.  "Where did you get that dress, Sakura?" he asked her.

Sakura glanced down at the floral print dress and gave him a wry smile.  "I was planning to do laundry when I got home from taking Megumi to the airport so the majority of my clothing was in the laundry room when the fire broke out.  Unfortunately, that was in the section of the house that suffered the worst damage.  It's been busy at school with preparation for finals and such and I haven't had the opportunity to go shopping for anything else."

"You simply _must_ wear something else!" Ayame said and put his needle down as Mine entered.  "Mine, we will stop for tonight after all.  We must make sure that Sakura dresses in a way befitting her rather than looking like she is wearing another's discount cast-offs."

Mine's eyes turned to her and for the first time Sakura understood all the stories she had heard in the past.  "Yes, we must," she agreed.

Sakura was hauled off to the back where Mine began going through all sorts of clothing and calling out choices to Ayame.  She came away from the shop with three new dresses—all of which were completely unsuitable for school—and Ayame declared that they must go shopping, in her car.  When they reached the shopping center Sakura was finally able to get enough time to call the house while Mine and Ayame argued over where they should take her.

"Moshi, moshi?"

It was Shigure's voice on the other line.  "Hello, Shigure," Sakura said.  "It's me. I'm with Ayame and Mine at the shopping center and I'll be running even later than I expected.  Apologize to Tohru for me, please?"

"Tohru figured something came up and that's why you weren't home so she put your food in the oven to stay warm before she went to work," he informed her.  "Why on earth are you shopping with Ayame, and without me, I am hurt Kura-chan."

Sakura sighed in mild exasperation and shook her head.  "It was not a planned shopping trip—"

"Come, Sakura, we must have you clothed in the fine elegance that suits your form, though these other clothes are not nearly so lovely as mine, they will have to do," Ayame declared, interrupting her.

"Ah, Aya saw your dress today didn't he," Shigure murmured.  "You should have known better than to go anywhere around him in that."

"It didn’t look that bad, did it?" Sakura asked, even as she was dragged away to a store by Mine and Ayame.

"Only like an old school teacher in some of those American films you have been watching on occasion," Shigure said.

"It does not look that bad!" she exclaimed.

"Kura-chan, Kura-chan, I am an artist. I know when something looks bad and I could come up with far more engaging ways to describe it, but it all boils down to the same thing," Shigure said. "It is not suited for your vibrant personality to be clad in such...old-maidish clothing."

"Old maid!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, stopping in the middle of the shopping center and drawing several disapproving gazes.

She flushed slightly and lowered her voice.  "Now that was uncalled for, Shigure," she said in a calmer tone.

"Truth is truth," he said.  "If you wish to continue dressing like that, there is nothing I can do, but bear your shame as a good friend..."

"Brat," Sakura said, a grin tugging her lips.

"Do find some nice clothes, Kura-chan," Shigure encouraged, "your dull plumage of late is affecting you badly."

Sakura chuckled.  "Let's go Ayame," she said, without hanging up.  "I have been informed that I look like an old maid by an old man far past his prime..."

"Past his prime?" Shigure exclaimed.  "I do object to that Kura-chan!  I am hardly past my prime and—"

"Good-bye Shigure dear, I'll see you when I get home," she grinned and hung up the phone.

**_Later that_** evening, after she dropped off Mine and Ayame, Sakura drove back towards Shigure's house.  She parked her car near her next stop and began to clamber up the hill.  "Sakura-san, I thought you'd never come!" Momiji Sohma exclaimed, popping up over the wall.

It took all of her control not to yelp in surprise at the blond boy's sudden appearance.  "I was delayed a bit longer than I thought," she said, "Ayame insisted on dinner and shopping when I stopped over at his store today." 

"Ah, Aya is hard to say no to," Momiji grinned.  "Come on to the gate, I'll open the door for you."

Sakura went to the gate and it swung open.  Momiji waited for her to come through and her hand clenched.  "I'd better go home," she suddenly said.  "Shigure's probably worried, I didn't tell him I'd be out this late and..."

"You're going to have to say something sometime," Momiji said.  "You can't hide it forever."

Sakura sighed.  "I don't want to cause any problems, Momiji," she said. "I think, I am content just too look on from the shadows.  You understand, don't you?"

Momiji was quiet for a while and then nodded slowly.  Sakura tugged the package of chocolate out of her bag.  "It'd be a pity for these to go to waste.  I'm sure that Hatori receives many anonymous gifts on Valentine's Day; this will be the same I think.  Please, Momiji?"

The blond boy took the chocolates.  "You'll tell him when the time is right," he suddenly smiled.  "I'll give these to him secretly though."

"Thank you, Momiji."

She smiled at him and walked away as the boy vanished inside the compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a note, I may end up slowing down on updates--not for long, just a week or so. I forgot when I originally published this I had another writer take over for a little while and their style is -very- different from mine and I no longer feel it fits the overall tone of the story (I was and still am insanely grateful they wanted to keep my story going for a while when RL was sinking me hard into the depths) so I have to do some rewriting. My goal is to have it not affect the update schedule...here's hoping it works like I hope.
> 
> Thanks for your patience and thank you for reading ^_^


	13. White Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's cherry blossom time and of course Tohru wants to get her friends together to enjoy it and feed them lots of food. Sakura receives a White Day present she doesn't expect.

**Basket Twelve: White Roses**

**_"All right_** , the ending ceremonies are going to be held in two weeks at 3 PM," Sakura announced a month later.

She was wearing one of the new suits that she'd bought on her shopping spree with Mine and Ayame and felt much better for it, though she would never admit that to either Shigure or Ayame, the 'old maid' bit still stung.  Here and there around the room she spotted signs of White Day and smiled faintly.  She continued with the announcements and then told them to study for the rest of the period.  She settled at her desk and tugged a gold embossed card out of her bag and read the inscription.

“ ** _People come and go but the footprints_**

**_they leave on our hearts last forever.”_ **

She twirled the card idly as she considered it.  The words were embossed into the card so there was no handwriting to trace.  The card had accompanied the single, perfect white rose that she’d found at her desk when she arrived.  The other teachers were abuzz with the fact that she’d received such an obviously romantic gift though she never mentioned a boyfriend.  The person who gave her the rose depended on who you asked. The answers ranged from an American boyfriend she left behind to an Arabian sheik she met on assignment in the Middle East and with whom she still exchanged letters.  She let them gossip, doing her part by keeping what she hoped was a mysterious smile on her face—they would find their stories far more entertaining than the truth.

As for Sakura herself, she didn’t know for sure who sent it, but she suspected either Shigure or Ayame just to see her reaction.  From the card she suspected Shigure because no doubt Ayame would have made a dramatic declaration of love worthy of one of those corny romance novels found at grocery checkouts in America.  Shigure was a bit subtler, sometimes.  Even so, the pieces didn’t quite fit together.  Shigure jokingly presented her with a maid’s outfit this morning over breakfast—mainly to watch Kyo and Yuki’s reactions as Tohru innocently asked if Sakura was going to start helping clean house.

The bell signaling the change of class drew her out of her contemplation and she hurriedly gathered her things.  The mystery of the white rose was just going to have to remain unsolved for the time being.

She smiled at Miyuki-san on her way out and slipped her bag over her shoulder.  “Alexander-san?

Sakura glanced up at the summons and frowned slightly at Nobuyuki.  “How may I help you?” she queried.

“Yanagi-san asked me to ask you if you’d like to go out for drinks with the other faculty members tonight.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline,” she said politely.  “I’m going to dinner with a couple of friends tonight.”

“One of those Sohma guys?” Nobuyuki demanded.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Sakura said coldly. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“They’re bad news. You should be careful,” he told her.

“I’ve known them since I was in high school and I’ve noticed nothing of the sort,” Sakura replied.  “Your concern for my well-being touches my heart.”

Her sarcasm flowed over his head and he preened slightly.  “I like to try and watch out for my co-workers, especially pretty ones, Maybe…”

“Don’t you have a class to attend Nobuyuki-san?” Sakura interrupted as politely as possible.

A flash of anger passed over his face and Sakura used the opportunity to politely excuse herself.  She elected against going back to her office and instead checked her watch and ducked outside.  She was free the rest of the day because a few of the other teachers had asked for some extra time with the classes and since she  finished the majority of her lessons and handed out review packets already, she’d agreed.  She had intended to use the free time to begin going over the students’ research reports but the thought of returning to her office didn’t appeal now.

Something white floated across her vision and she reached up and caught it automatically.  Opening her hand she stared bemusedly at the cherry blossom petal in her hand _.  Spring already?_ She thought with some surprise and clenched her hand around the delicate petal _.  I almost didn’t notice.  It’s been almost a year now…_

Her mind briefly touched on the fond memories of her parents and then flinched away.  “I’ll never forgive you,” Sakura growled to the members of her family in the US.  “You’ve even darkened the good memories I have of my parents.”

Abruptly Sakura turned towards the small grouping of Cherry trees and settled beneath them, stubbornly shoving the thoughts of her family away.  She pulled a small stack of reports out of her bag and contented herself with reading through them…she could go back for the other ones later.

“Alexander-sensei?”

Sakura glanced up in surprise to see Tohru and realized she’d been outside for longer than she intended. “Good Afternoon Tohru-kun,” She smiled, “is school out already?”

Tohru nodded and Sakura noticed that the younger girl looked a little uncertain. “Aren’t Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun waiting for you?”

“Ah, um, actually…” Tohru’s face flushed, “Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun are busy this afternoon and you looked kind of lonely so I thought…um, never mind…”

“You thought what Tohru-kun?” Sakura prompted a smile tugging at her lips.

“Maybe you would like to walk home with me since we are going to the same place.”  Tohru said hurriedly, her words tumbling heedlessly over each other. “Of course, you’re a teacher and maybe it could cause trouble and…”

“Tohru-kun,” Sakura effortlessly sliced across the younger girl’s awkward words, “I would love to walk home with you.”

She packed her papers back in her bag and rose, dusting off her skirt. “The cherry trees are beautiful this year” Tohru said as they began their trek.

“Yes they are,” Sakura agreed quietly as she watched several petals dance on the breeze. 

“This was my mother’s favorite time of year.”

“Yours too?” Tohru looked up at her with surprise. 

“Yes, she used to call me her ‘little bit of spring’ even when the snow was heaviest,” Sakura said, her face softening with the memory.

“That must be a wonderful feeling Sakura-san.  Are you going to see her soon?” Tohru asked.

Sakura winced inwardly. “Unfortunately Tohru-kun, my mother passed away last year.”

“Oh no! I am so sorry Sakura-san!” Tohru gasped horrified at what she’d said.

“She and my father were killed in a plane crash last year,” Sakura continued, surprised that her voice didn’t crack.

“That’s so sad,” Tohru said quietly. “Is that…never mind it’s none of my business.  Look there’s the grocery store, can we stop by there?”

Sakura couldn’t help but be partially amused by Tohru’s attempt to shift her focus.  She allowed the younger girl to pull her into the shop.  While they were shopping Tohru talked of inconsequential things, obviously trying to divert Sakura from sad thoughts.  Sakura smiled gently at the back of Tohru’s head and suddenly frowned.  “Isn’t this a bit much just for dinner?”

“Oh, I forgot to ask!” Tohru exclaimed! 

“Ask what?” Sakura queried.

“Are you doing anything tomorrow, Sakura-san?” she asked.

“Well, I did have an exciting day of grading papers planned,” Sakura said.

“Oh.”

Tohru sounded disappointed and Sakura laughed inwardly.  Obviously Tohru did not hear the sarcasm. “But I could very easily be talked into forgoing that for a while”

“Really?”

Tohru’s tone brightened immediately and Sakura laughed out loud, her violet eyes glittering with mirth. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, tomorrow is Sunday and Hana-mi is starting and Uo-chan suggested that since I have the day off that we all go.  Yuki-kun thought it would be good for everyone to take a break from studying for finals, so Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-san are going to come.  I am going to make bentos for everyone.”

“Sounds like a big undertaking, would you like some help?” Sakura questioned.

“You don’t have to do that, just you coming will be enough!” Tohru exclaimed.

“Helping you with the bentos would take my mind off of my parents,” Sakura said, “but if I’d be in the way…”

“Oh no, Sakura-san you wouldn’t be in the way at all!”  Tohru said quickly.

“Really?” Sakura said hopefully, ruthlessly suppressing the smile threatening to ruin her serious expression.

Tohru nodded and Sakura gave her a small smile. “Thank you, Tohru-kun you are so kind."

“Good morning Kura-chan,” Shigure said coming into the kitchen.

“For the record, it was the sunset you saw, not the sunrise,” Sakura said, calmly spooning rice into the boxes.

“Then what I saw earlier must’ve been the sunrise…these deadlines wreak havoc on my sleep schedule,” Shigure said. “Tohru-kun, something smells absolutely heavenly.”

Sakura smacked his hand with the back of her spoon as he reached out to snitch a dumpling. “Hands off, they’re for lunch tomorrow,” she scolded him.

“Kura-chan you are too cruel!” he gasped clutching his hand to his chest in a dramatic fashion.

Sakura was unfazed by his antics but Tohru looked concerned.  “Tohru-kun was kind enough to save some dinner for you, it’s in the oven.  You’d be better off eating that instead,” Sakura said.  She gave him a slight glare as he started sidling up to Tohru in a ploy to gain her sympathy even more. “Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun aren’t here to witness your antics Shigure dear…you may want to save them for a more appreciative audience.”

A flash of disappointment was reflected in Shigure’s face but Tohru continued making onigiri, completely oblivious to the games the two adults were playing.     

Sakura grinned as Shigure took himself off to the oven to recover his dinner. “Do you think this will be enough for Hana-mi tomorrow, Sakura-san?” Tohru’s question came out of the blue and there was concern in her eyes.

The older woman’s gaze slid over the outrageous amount of food set out before them.  “I think it will be more than enough Tohru-kun.”

“You’re going to hana-mi tomorrow?” Shigure asked popping back into the kitchen.

“You have a deadline Shigure,” Sakura scowled at him.

“But the cherry blossoms are inspiring and I could never pass up a chance to bask in the glory of our lovely flower and my family.  How could you think I would feel otherwise?” Shigure asked in a mock-injured tone.

“If you don’t meet your deadline, I’ll tie you up as a present for Mii-chan myself and garnish it with a pink blow,” Sakura said threateningly.

“Never fear, I will be done!” he declaimed proudly.  “Just the thought of spending the day with our lovely flower and eating her lovely food is all the incentive I need to complete my manuscript.”

Sakura rolled her eyes.  “Then it’s a deal,” Sakura nodded, making a mental note to call Mii and check on the exact deadline. “Now go eat!”

“Yes ma’am,” Shigure said and ducked out.

“This is wonderful, even Shigure-san will be there!”  Tohru said delightedly clapping her hands together.  “Maybe I should make just a little bit more…”

“Tohru-kun there’s enough here to feed the entire Zodiac even if they each bring two friends.” Sakura laughed and finished placing the last of the rice in the boxes.

“Ayame’s going to be wondering what happened to me if I don’t get moving soon.”

“Be safe, Sakura-san!” Tohru said.

Sakura grinned at her. “Always.”

_The next morning_ dawned clear and breezy.  Sakura had a feeling it was going to be a gorgeous day.  She hummed softly to herself as she donned a pale lavender sundress.  She pulled the sides of her hair back into a partial ponytail and tied a matching ribbon.  She snatched her hat off the dresser and headed downstairs.

Tohru was already in the kitchen fixing breakfast and glanced up as Sakura entered.

“Good Morning Sakura-san,” she said brightly.

“Good Morning Tohru-kun.  You’re up early,” she noted.

“I thought I should finish packing everything to save some time,” Tohru smiled.  “You were out late last night, Sakura-san. I didn’t want to trouble you.”

“It wouldn’t have been any trouble,” Sakura assured her.

Glancing outside, Sakura saw Kyo up already and practicing.  Yuki would likely stumble into the kitchen in his normal half-comatose state soon.  Idly Sakura wondered if Shigure was going to manage to get up in time.

To her surprise, Shigure was the next to appear followed soon by Yuki.  Shigure glanced at her and then settled at the table next to her. “You look tired, Kura-chan,” he observed quietly. “Would it have any relation to the phone call you received last night?”

She glanced up at him in surprise and saw the concern in his eyes. “It was nothing,” she said forcing a smile that didn’t lighten the shadow that fell over her eyes.

“If my English recollection is accurate, you said something along the lines of ‘It’s legally binding so take your greedy, grimy paws and leave me the hell alone!” he noted. “Doesn’t sound like a very civilized conversation.”

“Leave it, Shigure,” Sakura said quietly and rose.

She left the house deliberately shutting the door behind her.  The cool breeze caught at her hair tossing it lightly around her.  She leaned on the railing, her violet eyes distant as she gazed into the woods surrounding the house.  She would have to leave here soon and return to her house so as not to bring any trouble to Shigure and the others.

“Such a sad look does not suit you, Sakura.”

The quiet, gentle voice startled her and she glanced up in shock. “Hatori-san!” she gasped.

“You haven’t been sleeping well lately it appears,” he murmured.  “I suppose this is the problem you are going to deal with alone.”

“That’s right!  Alone!” Sakura confirmed, wincing slightly at the belligerence in her own voice.

“Very well but remember, if you do decide to confide in someone I…we’re here for you,” Hatori said.

“You’re not going to press for answers?” Sakura’s voice reflected some surprise.

One of Hatori’s rare smiles lit up his face for a moment.  “I’ll leave that futile task to Shigure.  I learned a while ago that you will talk to us when you are ready to and not one moment before.”

“Why are you here?” She asked curiously.

“I am Momiji’s guardian and since he is going, I must as well,” the doctor replied.

“Momiji’s a good boy,” Sakura said quietly.  “He has a way of brightening a room and convincing someone to do something they normally wouldn’t consider.”

“Sakura!”

Sakura glanced back as the door slid open and a curly-haired blonde boy burst through. “Good morning Momiji-kun.  We were just talking of you.”  The boy’s energy at such an early hour of the morning brought a genuine smile to Sakura’s face before the shadows closed in once again.

“You look really pretty today, don’t you think so Hatori?” Momiji Sohma questioned.

“Yes the dress suits her,” Hatori agreed casually. “I should go make my greetings to Tohru and the others.”

He left and Momiji came to stand beside her at the railing. “You look sad today, Sakura, like the first time we met,” he said, his voice serious. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine Momiji,” Sakura said. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

He regarded her with those brown eyes that saw too much and looked too old for his young face.  Sakura shifted uncomfortably before turning her eyes back to the trees.  Her mind traveled back to the first time she’d met him.

_“Are you lost?”_

_Sakura glanced up and saw a skinny young boy pop up over the wall.  “I don’t think so,” Sakura answered.  “This is Sohma house still, right?”_

_“Are you a Sohma?” he asked in surprise._

_“Not exactly, but I’m a good friend of Hatori-san,” Sakura replied._

_“Oh, okay, let me get the gate for you,” he said brightly._

_The lad vanished and a few moments later, the door opened and Sakura entered. “You’re only the second person I’ve seen come here that isn’t a Sohma,” he told her cheerfully._

_She followed him, listening to him chatter with a half-smile on her face.  Finally they arrived at Hatori’s house and entered. “It looks like he had to go tend Akito, but he should be back in a little while,” Momiji said brandishing a note he’d found._

_“I can wait,” Sakura assured him.  She wandered around Hatori’s office and her eyes fell on a photograph of a smiling young woman.  She picked it up and stared at it, her hand clenching tightly around it.  Kana.  She set it back down deliberately and turned and saw Momiji watching her intently._

_“Did you know Kana?” Momiji asked her._

_Sakura shook her head.  “I didn’t know her, but I knew of her.  I’ve been out of the country for a few years.”_

_The door slid open and Hatori entered with a weary “I’m home.”_

_“Welcome back Hatori-san,” Sakura smiled at him._

_“Sakura!”_

_Hatori looked a little surprised to see her, but also a little pleased.  “It’s been a while” Sakura said.  “I was in the area and decided to drop by.”_

_“I assume you’ve already seen Shigure then,” he said._

_Sakura nodded.  “Tohru Honda is a very interesting girl I think.”  He looked at her sharply and Sakura chuckled.  “I like her,” Sakura added._

_Hatori invited her to tea and they chatted over old times.  Momiji listening and watching avidly.  During the course of the conversation, Sakura felt his eyes on her more than once.  After a while Sakura glanced at the clock and looked startled. “Wow it’s getting late. I should probably get back home.”_

_“I’ll walk you out,” Momiji announced jumping to his feet._

_“That’s not really necessary,” she objected._

_“But I want to,” Momiji said almost pleadingly._

_Chuckling softly, Sakura gave in._

_“The old way is still open Sakura,” Hatori told her quietly. “Feel free to come by anytime.”_

_“Thank you Hatori-san,” she smiled._

_They left the house and walked in silence for a short distance.  “So you’ve know Ha-ri since high school?”  Momiji questioned.  Sakura nodded.  He continued, “Why did you look so sad when you saw that picture?”_

_Sakura missed a step and stumbled slightly, shooting a startled look at the blond boy.  “It’s nothing” she finally managed._

_“Sometimes it’s better to tell someone your feelings because you never know when something’s going to happen to you…or them.”_

_“And sometimes it’s better to leave it unspoken because it will cause more trouble and hurt than it will solve,” Sakura countered with a sad smile._

_He looked about to object, but then nodded and Sakura had a feeling he knew what she was talking about from personal experience.  They reached the gate and Sakura smiled at him. “It was good to meet you Momiji-kun.  Take care, okay?”_

_“Be safe,” Momiji smiled and Sakura left._

“Why do you look so serious, Kura-chan?  Contemplating a past love that you parted with oh so sweetly?”

Shigure’s voice brought her back out of her memories and her cheeks flushed slightly at how close to the mark he came.  “Something like that,” Sakura confirmed and was gratified to see surprise flicker across his face.

She nodded a greeting at Hatsuharu who had shown up at some point and they set out for the cherry blossom viewing. 

They met Uotani and Hanajima and spread blankets on the ground admiring the flowering trees.  To Sakura’s surprise, Kisa and Hiro showed up as well and Ayame showed up out of the blue declaring that he couldn’t let an opportunity to share hana-mi with his beloved younger brother pass…he also came close to simply throwing Yuki at Tohru, halted only by Hatori’s timely intervention.  Sakura settled on the blanket next to him afterwards.  “Subtlety was never one of your strong points Aya,” she observed.

He gave her one of those small thoughtful smiles only she, Shigure, Hatori, and maybe Mine saw. “I suppose you are right,” he agreed.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “You should leave the matchmaking to me.”

Ayame threw back his head and laughed and Sakura winked at him before wandering away from the happy group.  She leaned against a tree trunk and considered her current situation.  “There you are Sakura-san!”

Tohru appeared with a happy smile on her face dispelling the shadows caused by Sakura’s grim thoughts.  “Aren’t the cherry blossoms beautiful?” Tohru asked.  Her voice was filled with an innocence and a sense of wonder that Sakura found endearing. “Last time I attended Hana-mi was with Mom two years ago.  It was only about two weeks before she left and never came back.  We had so much fun then, but I am having fun now, too.  Isn’t spring wonderful Sakura-san?”

“Yes it is indeed,” Sakura agreed. “My mother always said that the best way to make it through a long hard winter is to remember that spring is going to come.” _But I feel like I am in the middle of winter right now and there’s no end in sight,_ Sakura thought to herself.

“You did tell me that spring was your mom’s favorite season, Sakura-san.  That was Mom’s favorite season too,” Tohru noted.

“Oh, that reminds me, I told you once that I would tell l you how I knew your mom,” Sakura smiled. “Would you like to hear that story now?”

“Yes please Sakura-san.  It will add to all the wonderful memories I have of Mom, I am sure.”

“It was actually around this time of year.  I got a little lost in one of the less safe areas of town while I was doing an investigative report on girl gangs…it was for a research paper but I decided that books and articles just weren’t compelling enough. I decided I would see it first hand and then got lost when I had to run from some girls that took offense to my questions.  Your mother was coming out of a store and I nearly ran her over.  The girls l that were after me came to a dead stop when they saw her.  She told them to ‘get lost’ and they did then she turned around and asked me if I was okay.  After I told her I was, she scolded me for doing such dangerous things and worrying my mother…I think she did a better job of it than my mother did.  She agreed to do an interview with me about the gangs to keep me from risking the trouble again.  I think she sensed that I would probably keep at it until I got some answers.”  Sakura chuckled at the memory.  “One of the things she mentioned in the interview was her little girl.  I received an A-plus on the report and that was actually the first article I ever published.”

“That’s amazing,” Tohru breathed.

“Your mom was an amazing lady, Tohru-kun,” Sakura smiled.

“Tohru-u! Where are you?”  Momiji’s voice echoed and the blond boy tumbled through the trees into view. “I thought we were going to play Dai Hin Min.”

“I’m sorry Momiji.  Sakura-san was telling me this wonderful story about Mom and I forgot.  She knew her, isn’t that wonderful?” she asked.

“It really is a small world.”  Momiji grinned.  “Let’s go play!” He grabbed Tohru’s hand and Sakura’s cell phone rang.

She glanced at the number and smiled at them. “You two go back without me and I’ll be right there.  I have to take this phone call first.”

They nodded and left.  Sakura answered the phone. “What do you want?”

**_Later that evening_** after everyone had left or gone to bed Sakura knocked on the door to Shigure’s study.  When he called for her to enter, she slid open the door.  “Kura-chan, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I’m moving back to my house Shigure.” she announced.


	14. Bridging a Chasm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura returns home after her impulsive declaration to Shigure about leaving and finds that she may have a bit more than she bargained for to deal with. Hatori escorts her and there are...conversations.

**Basket Thirteen: Bridging a Chasm**

Sakura put the key in the lock and turned it quietly pushing the door open.  She reached to turn on the light and what was illuminated was an empty space that felt like she walked into mausoleum.  She took a few steps in and Hatori came in behind her with a couple bags in his hands.  “Please just place them right there, I’ll get them moved to a room in a little bit,” she requested.  “Thank you very much for the ride.  I appreciate it.”

She turned to look at him and found him closer than she anticipated and drew in a sharp breath before taking a hasty step back.  “I need to make sure a sea dragon isn’t flopping in my door for all the neighbors to see,” she explained the reaction quickly—perhaps a little too quickly.

Hatori gave her a knowing look and took another step in, gently nudging the door shut behind him.  Sakura turned and quickly moved ahead of him flipping lights on as she went, she hadn’t really looked over the house before making her impulsive decision to move back into it after the phone call during _hanami_.  Most of the downstairs areas were still intact the smoke stains carefully washed away by the cleaning crew that Sakura hired to work while she was getting things in order at Shigure’s house.  The smell of the cleansers they used still lingered on the air, but the smell would likely be gone by tomorrow evening at the latest.

“Perhaps your decision to move was a little hasty,” Hatori said setting her luggage next to the couch in the living room.

“Most of the damage was on the second floor.  The first floor is perfectly livable,” Sakura said.  “The upstairs rooms mostly need new paint jobs and to be furnished.  I’ll have to go to a gallery or something and buy some new pictures for the rooms.  Everything that was on the walls…”

Sakura’s voice cracked and tears welled, but she cleared her throat and scrubbed the tears away with her hand.  “Anyway, thank you very much for helping me bring my stuff back.  I can probably take care of it from here, you should probably get back to your clinic—”

“Sakura.”

There was a note in his voice that pulled Sakura around to look up into his green eyes.  He reached out and gently touched the wetness under her eyes.  “It is not weakness to allow yourself to cry,” he said softly.

Sakura bit her lip hard at his words and tried to fight off the overwhelming emotion.  He touched her hair lightly and it felt like every wall keeping her feelings at bay broke all at once.  Tears flooded her eyes and a choked sob escaped.  “All of my pictures of everyone were in my study,” she whispered.  “The paintings my mother painted were on those walls.  My father’s favorite ink wash paintings…”

She took a step forward and let her forehead fall against his chest.  “Just for a moment,” she whispered.

“Take as many moments as you need,” Hatori said gently though his arms of necessity remained at his side.

One of Sakura’s hands came up and wrapped the material of Hatori’s shirt tight enough in her fist that the material would probably be wrinkled when she finally let go. The silence lay heavily in the house broken only by the sounds of Sakura’s sobs as she finally let go of the last vestiges of the walls she built high and thick after returning to Japan.

 ** _Hatori said nothing_** ; simply letting Sakura finally let everything she’d bottled up since the fire out.  He didn’t care that his shirt was going to be soaked and wrinkled by the time Sakura was done.  He didn’t care that he was likely going to have to answer some questions when he returned if someone came to his clinic this late at night and he wasn’t there.  The only thing that mattered was the woman sobbing into his chest like her heart was broken into tiny little pieces that would never be reassembled.

When Shigure and Ayame cheerfully befriended the girl who burst into their lives, Hatori held back.  He expected, as was far too common when the head realized the zodiac were forming relationships outside of them, Sakura would be ripped away in an instant.  His friends’ hearts would be broken and he would need to stay strong in order to comfort them when Sakura was yanked from their world—he couldn’t do that if he was broken too.  He wasn’t proven wrong, but the day Sakura returned to them with her memories intact after he did everything exactly as his father taught him changed his entire perspective.

Sakura wouldn’t be the one to break the Sohma curse.  She carried too much of her own darkness to help dispel the darkness that permeated every aspect of the zodiac life, but she did bring a little light into the worlds of the three high school boys she befriended.  Hatori watched her laughter and her smiles.  The way mischief would light up her expression when she and either Shigure or Ayame (or both) concocted another hare-brained scheme to ‘liven things up’.  The way she would dance around when she found a really interesting piece of information that would give her a hand up on whatever she was working on.  The way she sometimes would be sitting with them and then out of the blue she would say something so quiet and profound it caught them all by surprise and reminded them of how much depth she hid behind those brilliant smiles she perfected to make everyone think she was always all right.

He touched her hair carefully, not allowing any part of them to meet except his fingers in the soft brown strands that curled just a little around them. 

When she’d vanished unexpectedly the summer after high school with barely even a note, Hatori was probably worse off than Ayame and Shigure, but years of practice juggling the two automatically sent him into crisis mode.  By the time everything settled, the crisis passed—mostly.  Hatori got a letter from Sakura explaining most of the circumstances of her leaving; he only found out afterwards that he was the first to receive that notification.  They kept correspondence up through his tenure in medical school and when he’d done his internships she was off doing her own thing and fell off his map.

During that absence is when Kana appeared in his life and for the first time he found himself completely wrapped around a girl’s finger.  Perhaps it was Sakura who opened up the chink in the armor of his heart that Kana got through, but it was Kana herself who found it and walked into his life.  Hatori learned much from his relationship with Kana and when he mentioned it in a letter to Sakura she seemed to take it in stride.  She congratulated him on finding someone he would let in close enough to see more of the Sohma world.  Inwardly he admitted that he was too blinded by the sunshine that was his and Kana’s relationship up until that moment to be truly prepared for what happened next.  After the confrontation in Akito’s room and Hatori’s subsequent decision to remove Kana’s memories of their time together, he realized that there was too much sun and not quite enough shadow for it to truly last.

He thought he’d finished repairing the chink in his heart’s armor, but now he was wondering if maybe it was still there. This, however, wasn’t the time to pursue that train of thought.

“I’m sorry. I’ve completely ruined your shirt.”

Sakura’s voice, raspy from tears pulled him out of his contemplations.

He realized she’d pulled back and reached into his pocket automatically to hand her a handkerchief.  “It doesn’t matter,” he said as he gave her the material.  “The shirt is replaceable.”

“I’ll buy one for you,” Sakura offered.  “I—”

“It’s not necessary,” Hatori stated.  “I have thirteen more just like it.”

For some reason that revelation brought a small smile to Sakura’s lips and she giggled.  “You would,” she muttered.  “Everything exactly perfect, not a thing out of place.  You’ve always been that way Hatori-san.”

Something in the way she said his name opened up the gap between them that closed while she was crying on his shirt.  “I would not say there isn’t a thing out of place,” Hatori said.

He cast a glance around the room they were in and frowned.  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked.  “There’s not much…”

“There’s a guest bedroom set up western style down here.  I can use that until the upstairs is usable again,” Sakura said.  “The kitchen is in perfect shape and there’s bathroom on this floor though I’ll have to content myself with a shower rather than a soaking tub for now.  I can deal with the grading and various things from work on the dining room table.  The laundry will have to go to the cleaner’s for now, but it’ll only be for a couple weeks.  I can get the upstairs done on my own over the next three or four weekends most likely so it won’t be that bad.”

Hatori sighed.  “If you’re doing it on your own it’s a sure way to wind up in my clinic exhausted with a fever again.”

“I’ll be careful,” Sakura said almost mutinously.  “Besides you only treat Sohmas.”

“And one Honda and one Alexander,” Hatori rumbled softly.

A blush sprang into Sakura’s cheeks and covered her almost to the part of her chest that peeked out of the modest neckline of the dress she wore.  She turned away and stared at the wall.  “You should get back home, Hatori-san, someone might need you,” she said.

Hatori watched her back for a long moment then placed a hand on her shoulder.  He leaned over and blatantly stole a page from Shigure’s book.  “Contemplate for our sakes at least trying to get some help,” he murmured in her ear.

He could see the goosebumps on her skin and nodded to himself in satisfaction.  He pulled back and headed for the door.  He reached for the handle and suddenly Sakura slammed into him from behind wrapping her arms around his middle.  Color exploded in front of his eyes and everything quadrupled in size.  He flopped helplessly on the ground amidst his clothing and found himself picked up in Sakura’s hands.

She brought him to eye level and he could see the fury in her expression.  “Don’t do that to me,” she exploded crankily.  “When Shigure pulls that stuff I’m used to it, but when you do…”

Her eyes dropped away from his to the clothing on the ground.

“…when you do it, it’s not fair.”

The last words Hatori was sure he wasn’t supposed to hear, but if he were in human form he would’ve smiled.

 ** _Sakura sat at_** her kitchen table the next morning and stared out the window over the kitchen sink turning over the events from the previous night in her head.  She’d gone upstairs to put together a plan of action this morning upon waking, but Hatori’s words from the previous night echoed in her head.

_Contemplate for our sakes at least trying to get some help._

She sighed and dropped her head onto her arms and stared at the cell phone in front of her.  She contemplated throwing it across the room in her frustration, but every time she went to do it she stopped.  Finally she lifted her head and picked up the phone.  She scrolled through the various services that came as recommendations from the company that restored her house and then paused as her phone lit up with a familiar number.

“ _Moshi_ , _moshi_ ,” she greeted.  “Alexander speaking.”

“Oh, Sakura-san!  Hatori-san said that you were out of sorts last night when he dropped you off and asked me to see how you were doing.”

Tohru Honda’s bright voice flowed through the line and Sakura couldn’t help but smile.  “I’m fine,” she assured her.  “Just a little overwhelmed.  The house isn’t quite as done as I thought.”

“I’m sure Shigure-san wouldn’t mind you coming back here for a little while if you need to,” Tohru assured her.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t,” Sakura said drily.  “I’d rather stay here, though there is one thing I might need…”

“Oh, what is it?” Tohru asked.  “Is it anything I can help with?  I’m sure it will work out.”

“Tohru-kun, how are you at handling a paintbrush?” Sakura asked.

“Oh I do it at work sometimes when things need touched up,” Tohru said.  “May I ask why?”

“Are you busy next Sunday?” Sakura inquired.

She heard shuffling as Tohru flipped through the organizer someone had gotten for her at some point—likely Yuki in an effort to help Tohru keep track of things and for the Sohmas to know where they needed to be if Tohru needed them.  “I’m free that day,” she said.

“Would you like to come over and help me finish my upstairs rooms?” Sakura inquired.

“I’d love to,” Tohru exclaimed.  “Are you sure we can do it just on our own?”

“I’m pretty sure we’re capable of it, but if you’d like to bring some help that will be perfectly acceptable,” Sakura said.

“Okay!  I will see what I can do,” Tohru said.  “What time would you need me there?”

“Likely by 10 AM at the latest,” Sakura said.  “I can get everything delivered before then, but if we plan to get it done we don’t want to start much later than that.  I can provide refreshments and meals as needed.”

“Okay.”

She heard a muffled conversation on Tohru’s end of the line but couldn’t make anything out.  “All set,” Tohru said.  “I’ll see you tomorrow at school?”

“Yes, I can’t very well not show up when I have students to teach,” Sakura chuckled.  “Thank you for your assistance in this Tohru.”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Tohru exclaimed.  “It’s really my honor to be able to help you with something so important as your house Sakura-san.”

Sakura shook her head at Tohru’s earnest tone.

They conversed a few moments longer and then the line disconnected and Sakura leaned back in her seat.

This likely was not exactly what Hatori had in mind when he told her to get help with things, but she’d be damned if she’d give in completely to that particular tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I warned previously, there are likely some delays looming in the future. I'm hoping to make them minimal (only a day or two), but there really is a lot of editing to be done. Please bear with me, I think it's worth it in the end ^^;
> 
> Also, after all my bold declarations the manga would not change how the story went, it looks like pieces of the manga are sneaking in, but only a little bit.


	15. Painting a Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tohru comes with reinforcements to help Sakura get the upstairs into a more habitable state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First up, I am so sorry I completely skipped out on the Wednesday update this week. Unfortunately due to real life (and other deadlines) for the next 8 chapters at least, I am going to have to drop to weekly updates on Sundays only as I do have to spend a decent amount of time rewriting them and time is suddenly at a premium.
> 
> I do thank you for you patience and I will stick as closely as I can to those Sunday updates (though some may be later on Sunday than others).
> 
> Today's update is still happening on Sunday in my book even if the date says Monday (I haven't gone to sleep yet...)

**Basket 14: Painting a Memory**

The week after Hatori brought her home went by quickly for Sakura.  She did her grading and went through the upstairs rooms and finalized the details.  She went out and shopped in the evening, arranged delivery, and otherwise got things set so, theoretically, there’d be no problems when everyone arrived.  Now that it was Sunday morning at 8 AM, Sakura was stuck sitting at her at her dining room table waiting for her help to arrive. 

She traced her fingertips over the dried petals of the white rose she received on Valentine’s Day thoughtfully.  Shigure flat out denied he was responsible for it when she asked and while he was known for fudging the truth now and then, Sakura was pretty sure he wasn’t lying this time.  The card with it was secured in a creaky new photo album that sat in a box labelled “Miscellaneous” in what would be her study when the painting and furnishing was done.  It would give her no clues to who sent it to her anyway and Sakura reluctantly contemplated that this would be an investigation she couldn’t close either.  Just like her long-running investigation into the Sohmas to try and find a way to make sure her friends were happy.

The doorbell rang and Sakura jumped up grateful for the diversion.  The table shook when her leg made contact with it accompanied by a painful yelp.  The vase wobbled for what felt like forever before it settled back into place calmly.  Sakura shoved the chair under the table and limped to the door to open it.

Tohru was there dressed in a blue coverall from her work accompanied by the usual Sohmas as well as one unexpected guest.  Momiji waved at her excitedly.  “ _Guten Tag_!  Tohru said you needed help with painting and I’m really good at it and I thought it would be fun!” he exclaimed.

Yuki and Kyo were standing behind Tohru dressed in clothing definitely intended to get messy and both looked generally disgruntled to be breathing the same air as the other.  Tohru gave her an apologetic look.  “No one else was available to help out today.  Hana-chan has to watch her siblings and Uo-chan had work.  Shigure said something about a task he needed to take care of at the main house.  I’m sorry.”

Sakura shook her head.  “I’m grateful for the help I can get,” she smiled and stepped aside.  “Please come in.”

“You can put your things on the couch there for now,” Sakura said gesturing vaguely into the living room.  “I put some food on for lunch, but I’m afraid I didn’t really make any breakfast…”

“Don’t worry, Alexander-sensei,” Yuki said.  “Honda-san made sure we were fed this morning.”

“Good thing,” Kyo muttered.  “We were up all night due to the loud one’s giggling.”

“Oh no, did we keep you awake Kyo-kun?” Tohru asked her eyes widening in horror.

“No, not you, him,” Kyo grumbled.  “Just…him.”

Kyo seemed to blush and let his hair fall over one of his eyes as he studied one of the other walls with intense interest.

“It didn’t bother me at all,” Yuki observed mildly.

“Shut up you damn rat!” Kyo flared whirling on Yuki.

“Please, no fighting in the house?” Sakura requested with a pained look.  “I don’t have Gure- _san_ ’s bottomless accounts to repair all the damage.”

Kyo and Yuki glared at each other for a long moment before subsiding.

Sakura chuckled despite herself and shook her head.  “I do have some drinks and stuff in the fridge for later.  The goal is to get the master bedroom, the upstairs guest room, and the study painted today.  I got all the furniture for them yesterday.  I had the delivery men put it in the middle of the rooms so that we had free rein of the walls.  I taped off the baseboards last night.  Please come with me.”

“Are we all going to be working on the rooms together?” Kyo said dubiously.

Sakura shook her head and there was a shrill ring of the doorbell and she frowned a bit and moved to answer it.

She opened the door and to her surprise spotted a girl she recognized as Kagura Sohma from some pictures waiting outside.  “Good morning,” she greeted with surprise.

 “I heard that Kyo was here…” the brown-haired Sohma girl said.

_She is so cute!_

The thought was the first thing in her head and then she quickly recalled some of the information Shigure once gave her about Kagura Sohma and paled in spite of herself.  “Ah yes, Kagura-san, Kyo was just saying that he was looking forward to seeing you,” Sakura said.

“What the hell Alexander-sensei!  I did NOT…” Kyo began.

Sakura saw the change come over Kagura’s face at Kyo’s voice and swiftly moved aside and to reveal Kyo to Kagura with an apologetic look at the orange-haired boy who was giving her the most venomous look she’d ever encountered short of Akito in full rage.  “Please be careful of the house,” Sakura said worriedly.

“Kyo-kun, I missed you so~o much!”

Sakura winced as Kagura slammed into Kyo and sent him staggering back against the wall with enough forced to rock the pictures hung there.  She flinched as one fell off the hook and shattered then closed her eyes praying that would be the worst of it.  “Let’s do it this way, if Kyo and Kagura-san could please take care of the guest room that would be splendid.  Yuki, Tohru, and Momiji I’ll let you loose on the master bedroom, anything I was able to salvage that may seem a little too personal is still in storage.  Both those rooms just need the paint.  I have a piece of paper in there that will detail where the furniture needs to be placed after the painting is done—and you can come find me if you have any questions.  I’ll start work on the study on my own because it’s the most crowded at present and it’ll probably be easier for me to do it because I know exactly what I want so I don’t have to leave too many instructions."

Kyo went from venomous to resigned and grudgingly made his way upstairs with Kagura clinging to him like she wasn’t ever going to let him go.  “Are you sure you would not rather us do the study?” Yuki asked slowly.  “A teacher’s bedroom…”

“Please don’t worry it’s about as impersonal as painting the guest bedroom.  I will just eventually reside in there,” Sakura assured him.  “All the intensely personal stuff is going to be more in the study than it is in the bedroom.  That room is just for sleep. I do everything else in the study.”

Yuki still looked dubious and Sakura smiled.  “Trust me on this Sohma-san, you really don’t want to be working in the study.”

“It’ll be fine Yuki-kun,” Tohru beamed at him.

“Let’s go!” Momiji exclaimed and bounced off towards the room Sakura indicated.

She made a stop in each of the rooms to help get things set up and informed them that she’d have something for lunch ready by about 1 PM then moved to the study.  Her cell phone sat on a cart she’d purchased to hold the paint and she set an alarm to make sure that she got down to get the food going in time then started wandering the room.  Everything in the study smelled new as this room and the large bathroom next to the study that doubled as her laundry room were the ones that suffered the most in the blaze.   After about ten minutes of trying to get started on the study, Sakura gave up and snagged her phone and headed to the next room over to work on that instead.

The bathroom was less painful in the long run and she set to work on that, looking forward to being able to submerge herself in the tub in a couple days once all the paint was completely dried and the area aired out.

Her alarm went off about an hour and a half later and Sakura finished the last little bit before heading downstairs.  She cleaned off and started setting out the sandwiches she prepared the night before and various other things.  She called the kids down and set out the drinks and was about to grab something else when her doorbell sounded again.

She moved to answer it and found her friends on the other side.  Ayame was in no way dressed for any kind of paint related work and practically pranced through the door bearing a large flat package followed by Shigure and Hatori who were dressed a little more sensibly for home repairs.  “Hello,” she smiled at them.  “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“How could we not grace our dearest flower with our presence on a day designated to make her home hers again?” Ayame declaimed grandly.

There was a stir at the top of the stairs and Sakura could see Yuki and Kyo both taking an instinctive step back when they realized who was down in the entry hall.  Thankfully, Ayame hadn’t seen his younger brother yet and Sakura shrugged helplessly.  Yuki closed his eyes and she could see him composing himself to deal with his older brother as soon as Ayame turned around and saw him.

“I was just setting out lunch for a lunch break if you all would like to join us?” Sakura offered, gesturing vaguely at the spread in the kitchen.

“It seems ungentlemanly of us to partake of this most excellent feast without having given any kind of help,” Shigure said then grinned.  “I shall accept it as a payment for my future work.”

Sakura chuckled and shook her head.  Her eyes moved to meet Hatori’s and she felt her cheeks heating up for absolutely no reason.  She cleared her throat.  “Please come have lunch,” she said.

“With pleasure,” Hatori replied.

They entered the kitchen dining room area where the kids were already getting food.  Yuki was nearly tackled by his ecstatic older brother until Hatori forcefully reined him in and instructed him to be seated.  “Ah a single white rose,” Shigure gushed as he came in and took in the single flower in the vase in the middle of the dining room table.  “Is this perchance the rose that you accused me of giving you in secret, Kura-chan?”

Sakura nodded.  “I got it on White Day with just an embossed card.  It seemed like your M.O. but you shut me down on that one so I suppose it will remain another mystery I can’t resolve.”

She didn’t notice until Shigure burst out laughing how sulky she sounded about the whole thing.  She sighed and scrubbed her hand through her hair dislodging several tendrils from the ponytail she’d shoved her hair into when she woke up that morning.

“Did we miss out on all the work?” Shigure asked.

Sakura swore she heard a touch of hopefulness in his voice.  “Most of it,” she agreed.  “Just the study really left as the walls are drying in the other two rooms.”

She turned her attention to the young people.  “Thank you so much for your help today,” she said with a bow.  “I appreciate it greatly.”

“Do you want us to help in the study?” Tohru inquired.

Sakura shook her head.  “Please stay down here and relax.  We should be able to move the furniture in a couple hours.”

“Perhaps I shall stay down here with my beloved brother so that we may build—” Ayame began.

“Ayame, we came to help Sakura,” Hatori reminded him firmly.  “I believe you had a gift for her?”

“Why yes!  I do!” Ayame said and bustled over to where he leaned the flat parcel he brought in against the wall.

He whipped off the cloth and for a very long moment Sakura was rendered speechless and then she began to laugh helplessly.  Yuki wordlessly covered Tohru’s eyes before she could fully realize the subject of the painting.  “Honda-san, we should go outside for a little while.  It is a lovely day,” Yuki said easily and then directed a dark glare at the older members of the household.  “And that should be burned or at least put somewhere that Honda-san does not have to see it.”

Kyo looked like he wanted to take the knife he was holding to make another sandwich and shred the offensive canvas with it.  Momiji wandered to look at the painting.  “It’s really well done, Aya!” he exclaimed.

The white-haired man beamed at the youngster’s compliment and Kagura seemed to have decided to follow Yuki out the door he took Tohru through.  Kagura grabbed Kyo’s arm on her way.  “We should go out for a walk while the paint is drying.  I want to see the cherry blossoms with you.”

“The hell…” Kyo began and then trailed off his eyes going to the canvas.

He cleared his throat and it looked almost like the next words were physically painful for him to say.  “Yeah, let’s go look at cherry blossoms.”

“I want to come to~o!” Momiji sang and bounced out the door.

The children left the adults to stare in bemusement at Ayame’s offering.   Shigure was snickering and Hatori looked like someone just laid the entirety of the world’s sins on his shoulders and he buried his face in his hand.  “That is _not_ the painting you showed me last night, Ayame,” the doctor stated.

“That painting was in case this one wasn’t delivered on time,” Ayame stated with a broad grin.  “Isn’t the thought of my eternal youth caught on canvas wonderful?  I thought my friend did a most lovely job and perfectly caught every nuance of my beauty.”

Sakura moved forward slowly and took the painting and stared at it for a long moment.  It depicted Ayame sprawled elegantly on a divan with a piece of embroidered fabric concealing his modesty while he posed for the artist.  “He did capture the essence of you very well, Aya,” Sakura said carefully.  “I will definitely have to find a proper place to put it after the walls are done.”

“Shall we go see what we can do to help you with your study?” Hatori suggested as Sakura carefully rewrapped the canvas.

“Uh, yes, I think that would be a splendid idea,” she agreed

Sakura headed back up the stairs and entered the study again, but this time it wasn’t quite as bad.  Ayame flopped on the desk chair to direct their efforts while Shigure dug through one of the boxes and pulled out a book.  Sakura chuckled softly at the two and turned her attention to Hatori.  “If you’d like…” she started.

“I came to assist you, Sakura,” Hatori said firmly.

Sakura smiled shyly and the two set to work painting the walls above the fine grained wood that covered the lower half of the study.  The work went faster with two hands despite Ayame and Shigure’s random commands that Hatori and Sakura ignored.  Once the walls were finished, Sakura urged the men to go back downstairs and then once they were gone shoved the painting of Ayame as far back as she possibly could in her closet before she headed down to join them.

They were sipping tea and chatting about whatever came to mind and Sakura felt more relaxed than she had in months.  She rose to clear the dishes and as she put them in the sink the phone on the counter rang.  She reached to pick it up and a scowl shattered her content expression as she prepared to answer it.  There was a warm presence behind her and before she could react the phone was skillfully pulled from her grasp.  She whirled around to give whoever it was whatfor and then froze at the icy look in Shigure’s gray eyes when he took in the number.  He hit the button to decline the call and then turned it off.

“Not today, Sakura,” Shigure said quietly.  “I’ve not seen you this relaxed since you returned to Japan.  _That_ can wait.”

He tossed the phone to Hatori who caught it deftly and tucked it into his pocket.

“Give me my phone back,” she ordered.

“Tonight when we leave, I will return your phone,” Hatori assured her.

“All I have to do is hug you then…” Sakura began threateningly.

“Not today, Kura-chan,” Ayame said.

There was a startling seriousness in his voice and Sakura’s eyes moved helplessly between the Sohma men and then her shoulders slumped.  “All right,” she sighed softly.  “Just for today though.”

“I’m glad we could make you see reason,” Shigure said with an affable smile.

The younger Sohmas returned before Sakura could come up with a retort and the final steps of their work for the day were started.  After two more hours of moving furniture into place and getting everything settled into some semblance of normalcy Sakura more or less forgot about her phone.  They adjourned to the living room just after six and Sakura offered to put together dinner for everyone.

“I think we’ve already imposed on you too much, Alexander-sensei,” Yuki said eyeing his elder brother with thinly veiled disgust.  “And we do have school tomorrow so I think it would be best for us to head home.”

“I want to walk in the dusk with Kyo,” Kagura said, her green eyes glowing warmly.  “It’s the perfect time for lovers.”

“Who’s a damn lover?”  Kyo growled.  “Look here—”

“Hot pot!” Momiji shouted.

Everyone looked at the blond in bafflement.

“I think we should all go have hot pot. I know of a really good place right near Papa’s building,” Momiji announced.  “It’ll be my treat!”

Tohru looked like she was about to protest, but Momiji directed a look at her that even Sakura with her ten plus years of dealing with the Sohma charms would not be able to resist.  “Please Tohru, I want to share it with you!”

The look and the exclamation were a one-two punch that had Tohru clapping her hands in delight. “That sounds wonderful!”

Momiji looked inquiringly at them and Sakura shook her head.  “I still have a few more things to do then I need to look over my lesson plans for school tomorrow.  Thank you for your offer though.”

The elder Sohmas also declined the invitation and the kids left them to their own devices.  “Let me go see what I have left,” she said and headed for the kitchen.

Shigure caught her arm and shook his head.  “No more today, Kura-chan.  You’ve treated us like kings this day and it would make us disappointments to our ancestors if we did not return the favor.  Allow me to order us some take out.”

Sakura hesitated, but in the face of Shigure’s puppy dog eyes, Hatori’s approving nod, and Ayame’s sudden enthusiasm she was utterly defeated.

A little over an hour later, they finished their meals and Sakura stood up preparing to tell her friends good-bye.  “Thank you very much for your help today,” she said to them.

“It was our pleasure,” Shigure smiled. “Ha-san?”

Hatori dug the phone out of his pocket and handed it to Sakura.  “Leave it off until tomorrow, doctor’s orders,” he stated.

Sakura’s lips pressed together in a thin line and then she finally nodded.  “I have to get things done anyway,” she said grudgingly.

Hatori smiled at her softly and Aya and Shigure headed for the door.

He followed and after she shut the door behind them, Sakura set about clearing away the last of the dishes.

There was a knock only minutes later and she went to the door.  “What did you fo—” she trailed off at the sight of Hatori with a large box in his hand.

“I, too, had a housewarming gift for you that I left in the car,” Hatori said.  “Shigure and Ayame helped me with it as well.  I can promise there will be no half-naked men on divans inside.”

Sakura chuckled and accepted the box.  “Thank you.”

Hatori smiled.  “Get some rest tonight, Sakura,” he said softly and reached up and touched her cheek for just a moment.  “Sweet dreams.”

Sakura blushed and stammered at Hatori’s words and before she could find her voice he spoke again.  “I think I should get some yellow roses to accompany the white one,” he said.

With that he was gone and Sakura was left completely speechless.

_Did that mean…_

_…no way!_

She stood dumbly in the doorway as Hatori’s car pulled away from the curb.

The door creaked in the wind jarring Sakura out of her trance and she stepped back and closed the door, locking it.

She took the box up to the study that was now mostly in order except the boxes piled against the wall she’d get to later.  Sakura set Hatori’s gift on the desk and stared at it for a long time before reaching out to open it.   She saw a lot of what looked like paper in the interior and frowned a bit before she upended it carefully on the desk.

Her breath caught and tears sprang into her eyes when she lifted up the top item.

A picture of her grinning mischievously with Aya and Shigure in the background doing the ridiculous ‘ni’ smile that Hatori like to make his photography subjects do when he took the picture.  Gently shuffling through the other pictures she saw more and her breath caught.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it on.

She ignored the voicemail notifications that popped up and dialed Hatori’s number with shaking fingers.  He didn’t answer as he was still driving, but Sakura managed to leave a single tearful sentence.

“Thank you so very much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick explanation on the 'ni' picture. In the original anime when Hatori took the picture of Kyo and Yuki at the school festival he made them stand together and asked them was 1 + 1 was. The answer is, of course, 2...which translates in Japanese to 'ni' which has a similar effect to us tell the subjects of our pictures to say "cheese".
> 
> Thank you so much for reading my story and thank you for the kudos and comments I have received thus far, I appreciate them ^_^


	16. Moonlight and Shochu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura invites Tohru to her family's beach house and the usual suspects aren't about to let Tohru go out on her own. Shigure insists on going and brings along Hatori (Ayame apparently had a fashion show to prepare for).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I apologize for the lateness of this post, there was a whole lot of real life that suddenly caught up to me (and the muse is talking to me about 90s country instead of letting me get more work done on When Spring Comes). Hopefully this will be the last of the super late chapters, I have a free day coming up where I hope to get the rest of what I need to rewrite done so that I can be reliable in my updates.
> 
> Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Basket 15: Moonlight and Shochu**

Waves crashed on the beach and Sakura’s violet eyes took in the ocean in the orange-red rush of the sunset.  Below Tohru frolicked in the waves with Momiji while Kyo and Yuki watched from the beach.  They would be coming back soon as Sakura firmly instructed them to return before it got to full dark  since ocean swimming at night was dangerous—and Tohru admitted on the way over that she’d never actually been to the beach. 

Sakura watched them from the topmost balcony of her parents’ beachside estate in silence.  Her gaze strayed to the cell phone resting on the glass table lying next to a vase with a single orange rose.  Since the night it was turned off, the phone had been oddly silent generating a feeling of unease in Sakura’s stomach that she tried to ignore for the moment.

When she’d checked the messages the day after the house was painted—after obediently following Hatori’s ‘doctor’s orders’—she’d found the messages she expected and one she didn’t expect.  Her father’s solicitor called to let her know that the contract with the company that did maintenance on the beach house was up this year and wondered if she’d like to renew the contract or sell the property.  After some thought, Sakura made plans to visit the beach house the following weekend.  Sakura elected to renew the contract then made plans to for an extended stay at the beach house during Golden Week to relax and maybe see if she could let a few more bad things go. 

Sakura then discovered that Tohru’s birthday actually fell just after Golden Week ended and, on a whim, invited Tohru to come with her.  Sakura knew she was traipsing a thin line between being a teacher and her growing maternal affection for the girl.  She all at once wanted to spoil her and protect her from the Sohmas, but still allow her to spread her wings and her smiles to those around her who desperately needed them.  Sakura wanted to make sure Tohru had a life where she no longer worried about every little thing and needed to count every penny that escaped her wallet.  Sakura wanted Tohru to experience as many good things as she could to offset the roiling storm that hovered over the Sohma compound and all of those who bore the curse of the zodiac.

Tohru was first stunned and then ecstatic as she told Sakura that she’d never been to a beach house before and that it was an amazing birthday present.  Yuki and Kyo just happened to overhear and practically fell over themselves demanding why Tohru never told them when her birthday was and Sakura’s eyes flew to Shigure who was hovering in the doorway when she made the announcement.  The Dog gave her an embarrassed smile that said that even he hadn’t known when Tohru’s birthday fell.  He also latched onto the idea that they should all go with Tohru and Sakura to make sure that Tohru’s seventeenth birthday was celebrated in style since they missed her sixteenth birthday entirely.  Sakura suspected he may be trying to dodge some deadlines more than he wanted to go to the beach house.

Tohru did ask that they not leave until after the 1st of May which puzzled Sakura at first until she found out that it was the anniversary of Kyoko’s death.  She agreed and made arrangements with Shigure and Hatori about taking the Sohmas with her and then was floored when Hatori offered to go with them as well.  He said he would drive himself in case he had to get back to the Sohma compound, but he wouldn’t mind a few days away as well.  Sakura agreed and found herself prepping for six guests, not just the one she intended, but she didn’t actually mind.  Ayame was quite disappointed when he found out about their plans as he had another obligation that would keep him from coming.

A shout and a giggle before jarred Sakura out of her contemplation and her eyes flashed back to the younger people on the beach.  Kyo apparently decided that he was going to try and drown Momiji before they came back for dinner and found himself instead kicked coolly into the water by Yuki who stood on the beach and watched him struggle to get his feet back under him after the waves knocked him down again.  Sakura chuckled and turned to go inside coming face-to-face with Hatori as he emerged through the sliding glass door with two tall, cold drinks.

“This brings back some memories,” Sakura observed quietly as he handed her one of the drinks.

“Yes it does,” Hatori agreed.  “The last time we were here was three weeks and two days before you disappeared to America.”

“I did not disappear,” Sakura said indignantly.  “I left a note!”

“All it said was ‘Sayonara’—nothing else,” he said, “and it was just after Akito ordered you to visit.  It’s only logical we would worry.”

Sakura’s back burned at the memory and she opened her mouth to say something, but Hatori placed a finger on her lips.  “I didn’t come out here to start an argument,” he said.  “I thought that maybe we could enjoy the sunset together since Shigure is still sleeping.”

Sakura subsided and his finger dropped.  “I wasn’t going to argue,” she said lamely.

A slight smile flickered across his features.  “Of course not,” he replied.

Sakura puffed her cheeks out in a display of annoyance she picked up from her maternal grandmother and then took a sip from her drink.  Her gaze strayed to the table and her phone and she realized that the orange rose matched the color of the sunset.  The rose was a gift from Hatori for inviting them to the beach house and this time he made no secret of it.  She moved across the balcony and touched her fingers to the petals just as her phone lit up with an incoming call.

Her eyes widened at the number and she reached out to grab it.  Hatori gently caught her wrist.  “Sakura…” he said reproachfully.

“It’s not them,” she assured him.  “I have to take it.  Please excuse me.”

Without waiting for his answer, Sakura pulled away and hit the button to receive the call.  “Hello Joshua, give me just a moment to get somewhere I can hear.”

Hatori watched her leave with a frozen expression, his hand clenching around the condensation slick glass in his hand.  He took a deep breath and turned his attention back out to the beach where he saw Tohru herding the boys back towards the house.  Momiji was chattering happily at Tohru while Kyo and Yuki trailed along behind with inscrutable looks on their faces.  Sipping his drink he watched the sun fall below the horizon and dusk quickly swallowed the land.

There was no light turned on for the patio and Hatori hovered in silence though he could hear the laughter echoing from the inside telling him the children made it back.  He heard Sakura’s familiar laugh and realized that she’d finished the phone call, but hadn’t come back out to join him.  He knew that sooner or later Sakura would talk to them about what’s going on sooner or later, but the mysterious caller named Josh who was not ‘one of them’ was a new mystery he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to.

He finished off his drink and grabbed Sakura’s partially filled glass off the table where she left it when she picked up the phone and went back inside. By the time he entered the kitchen to put the glasses in the sink Sakura and Tohru were getting food on the table and Shigure emerged from his room.  Realizing that the chances of getting any kind of answers from Sakura were slim to none while the children were around, Hatori simply stepped in and started helping get the rest of the meal on the table.

By the end of the meal, Momiji was drowsing and, while they hid it better, he could tell that the long day of travel and sunshine was also catching up to Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo.  Momiji actually fell asleep practically in his food and Sakura chuckled softly.  “I think this one needs to be in bed,” she said ruffling Momiji’s curls.

The Rabbit did not stir and Sakura glanced over at Hatori.  “I know he’s fifteen going on sixteen, but he’s still so little…do you think…”

Hatori nodded and silently scooped the young man up in his arms and followed Sakura up to the guest rooms and she opened the door designated for Momiji’s room and she turned down the covers.  Hatori placed Momiji in the crisp sheets and Sakura tucked him in.  Touching his hair lightly one more time she led the way out of the room and flipped the light switch off.  “I didn’t want to turn him into a rabbit to get him up here,” Sakura said unnecessarily.

“I figured as much,” Hatori said.

Sakura glanced up at him sharply and cocked her head for a moment.  “Oh, the call,” she said.

She seemed to hesitate and then nodded as if in answer to an unspoken question.  “If you’d like there is a bottle of shochu chilling in the fridge, if you want to grab glasses and the shohu.  If you can get Shigure onto the porch I’ll elaborate on it for both of you.”

Hatori was startled at her sudden willingness to talk and she chuckled.  “I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes or so.  I want to change into something a little more comfortable.  I also have some plans to discuss with you and Shigure about the sailing expedition tomorrow.  Give me a little bit?”

Hatori nodded and headed downstairs and saw Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo putting on light jackets and shoes in the entryway.

“We’re going to go for a walk tonight,” Tohru informed him with a warm smile.  “I want to go see what the stars look like over an ocean and Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun were kind enough to agree to escort me.  Tell Sakura-san we promise not to go into the ocean while it’s nighttime.”

Hatori nodded.  “Don’t stay out too late.  Sakura has plans for tomorrow and you’ll likely need to be up early for it,” he said.

Tohru nodded.  “We won’t be gone too long, Hatori-san,” she assured him.

The three were out the door and Hatori headed to pick up the shochu and the glasses and moved to the patio.  Shigure was already there in his yukata taking a deep drag of a cigarette as he leaned on the patio railing.  He glanced up from the book in his hand when Hatori stepped out.  “You’ll destroy your eyesight like that, Shigure,” Hatori stated.

“Perhaps,” Shigure murmured and his hand dipped inside his sleeve an emerged with a pack of cigarettes that he offered to the doctor.

Hatori set the glasses and the sake on the table and accepted his friend’s offer.  He lit the cigarette with his own lighter and put it back in his pocket as he took a drag.

“They’re going for a walk this late?” Shigure murmured.

Hatori followed Shigure’s gaze and spotted three shadows moving along the beach.  “Tohru wanted to see the stars over the ocean,” Hatori said leaning on the railing.

“They are truly hopeless when it comes to her aren’t they?” Shigure asked, amusement threading through his tone.  “They hate each other’s guts, but yet neither of them will turn Tohru-kun down for anything she asks.”

“I’m not sure they hate each other as much as they want to think,” Sakura said.

Hatori’s good eye moved to monitor her progress as she exited the sliding door.  She had a pitcher of ice water and three more glasses that she set up on the table before crossing to rest her arms on the on the rail between the two elder Sohmas.  She fell silent and the three adults watched the young people’s shadows until they passed from view.

“I heard quite an interesting call when I woke up this evening,” Shigure murmured, “something about a bargain and situations escalating?”

Sakura sighed and leaned on the railing.  “Believe it or not, I was actually going to talk to you two about it,” she said.

“Well that’s going to be a novelty,” Shigure said a tinge of bitterness in his tone.

“The phone call was from Joshua Hardell,” Sakura said.  “You may not recognize the name right off hand, but he’s the editor of the magazine I worked for when I lived in New York.  He’s my boss.”

A knot Hatori didn’t even realize had tightened in his chest loosened as she spoke, her tone when she spoke of Joshua Hardell was brisk and businesslike.  “After I heard about my parents’ deaths, I left pretty abruptly.  His boss actually threatened to sue me for a violation of my contract,” Sakura said.  “I’d signed an agreement to do either a set amount of stories or work for the company for ten years whichever came first.  I promised five stories, when I left I’d only delivered four and I still have another five years on the contract to fulfill the ten year requirement.  Joshua stepped up to the plate for me and told his boss that before I left I promised to finish the last assignment at a point of their choosing after a year if I didn’t return.  I didn’t even tell Joshua anything about what happened, I just packed my desk and told him I was leaving.”

“And now the bill is coming due?” Shigure asked knowingly.

“Soon,” Sakura said.  “There are three situations they’re monitoring and figuring out what best suits what the magazine needs and my capabilities.  Joshua is pretty sure they’ll have an assignment for me by midsummer, but I probably won’t have to leave until later than that.  I have to do some research into whatever the situation is to figure out the best way to go about getting the story they need in as little time as I can manage.”

“So you’ll be leaving again?” Hatori asked.

Sakura nodded.  “Not for ten years this time though,” she assured him.  “Two maybe three months at most depending on where I wind up.  They have to give me time to make arrangements with the school and figure out who will be keeping an eye on things for while I’m gone.  I will be talking to you two about it before I go as I have to discuss something else with you—well likely mostly Shigure—related to Tohru, but not tonight.  It’s too beautiful of a night for grim discussions.”

She pushed away from the railing as they finished their cigarettes and moved to the table to set out the glasses.  She poured a glass for each of them and then Hatori requisitioned the bottle from her and poured hers.  The three settled on the chairs and a soft night wind ruffled through their hair as they took their first drinks in silence.

“This is a very nice shochu,” Shigure observed after taking a few appreciative sips.

“It came with high recommendations,” Sakura said.  “I’m glad it’s living up to the glowing review.”

“So what did you wish to discuss about the sailing excursion tomorrow?” Shigure asked.

“I mostly just wanted to finalize the details and see if there was anything I’d forgotten,” Sakura said.  “They’re supposed to be pulling up to the dock tomorrow morning around seven and I’ve chartered it until about nine tomorrow night…”

**Author's Note:**

> My schedule has altered slightly due to real life and other deadlines. "When Spring Comes..." will be updated every Sunday (sometimes late enough that the date says Monday). I will continue to post this story in its entirety including a second Epilogue that never made it into the version located on fanfic.net.
> 
> For those who read this story on fanfiction.net and are rereading it here on AO3, you will find the content in chapters 13-18 significantly different from the first run. Originally, I had another author take over the story as I ran out of time and desire to write it, but I wanted it to be finished (it also helped that the other author also wanted it finished) for those who were reading. In this iteration, I am writing the whole thing on my own which means that while several events that happened in those chapters will remain basically the same, the way they are executed is going to be massively different.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the changes.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
